Rosalie Sopespian
by TennisQueen12
Summary: The untold tale of the daughter of Lord Sopespian. Just how does this Telmarine royal react when her best friend runs from those who persecute him and her family betrays her? Peter/OC/Caspian **MOVIE VERSE** Sequel "A New Horizon" is up!
1. Forbidden Lessons

**Author's Note: Okay, so here is my first EVER fanfiction. I'm very excited about it and I hope that I can get a good story going. Being new can be hard, so anyone and everyone is welcome to help me out haha. I would love some constructive advice, but I know the difference between trying to be helpful and trying to be mean. So, yeah, enjoy the story guys and please review! How far I go with this depends on the feedback I get, so read and review! I have a little bit of an idea, but not much so all help is welcomed.**

**Also, this is kind of based off more the movie I guess. There may be some references with the book, but I'm not for sure yet. I guess it could have some AU in it as well, since it isn't exactly like the story. I am making it a little different.**

**Just a note, I don't own any of the Narnia creatures, characters..etc. I only own the characters you've probably never heard of before. The rest is all from the genius mind of C.S. Lewis, I give him total credit for everything else :)**

**Here we go...**

Chapter One: Forbidden Lessons

_My memories are something I hold very close to me. Had it not been for my memories, I would not be the person that I am to this day._

_My name is Rosalie Sopespian and I believe every word of the saying above for I have experienced many frightening events in my life that have changed me in indescribable ways._

_I don't want to ramble on, but before I begin my story I want to share with you that at the time I begin my tale, I am just a young child, barely six years old. I have a younger sister named Penelope, who is two at the time and my older brother, Jacob is about to turn ten years old._

_I also want to share that my father was a Lord of the Telmarines in the Land of Narnia. He was one of the head leaders of the nation under King Caspian the Tenth, at the time. Since my father had such a well-respected name, we were granted living quarters in the Telmarine castle._

_Lastly, my mother was one of my favorite people I ever met. As you will see, she cared for me greatly and loved me so. My father was wonderful as well, but since he was a lord; he was busy a lot. I remember him never being home, but before I share too much, let me begin my tale…_

The moon shone brightly over the dark Narnian landscape. The rolling hills and trees were all silent as the night. Even in the town of the Telmarines, all of the families had tucked themselves away for the night to spend time with family and loved ones.

A cold wind howled throughout all the land, freezing any living creature in its path. Just the night before, a snow storm had swept through, covering the ground with a nice blanket of white. The snow probably went up to my waist, at least, but I could not tell for sure because I had been kept inside the warmth of the castle with the rest of my family.

I bounced up and down on my mother's bed along with my brother, Jacob, while my younger sister, Penelope, curled up next to my mother near the head of the bed. A large book sat open on my mother's lap because she had just finished reading us a story about the Old Narnians.

It was forbidden that my mother teach us of the Old Narnians because my father hated them, but mother always claimed that in order to have a reasonable view of the world we called home, we must know about its past. I was too young to fully understand why she said this, but I believed her, nonetheless.

She taught us those stories without the knowledge of my father, of course, and made us all swear that we would never say of word of anything to our father, for if we did we would never hear another story of Narnia ever again. The three of us, even as young as we were, loved the stories too much to ever let them go so we did everything in our being to keep our meetings with mother as private as possible.

Every evening our mother would have a lesson with us, while our father was away meeting with colleagues. Father had a very busy schedule so it was very easy for us to learn all we liked of the Old Times, without his knowledge. An activity all of us liked to do, was reenact the stories soon after we learned them.

"Die, white witch, by command of Peter the Great!" Jacob yelled as he stabbed a fake wooden sword at me that mother had found in an old chest of drawers.

I did not want to be the White Witch, but since I got to be Queen Susan the day before and battle him, the ugly troll, I was told to be reasonable.

"Never!" I returned, jumping out of the way on the bed as he took another stab. I held a fake ice scepter in my hand that was really just a lengthened wooden sword, but it my eyes it was anything but.

We jumped back and forth, a childish sort of art, and avoided each others weapon. The whole scene lasted for a few minutes before I lost my balance on the edge of the bed and stumbled off the side.

I hit the ground with a loud thud and my brother climbed off and after first checking my eyes to see that there were no tears, he proceeded to hold his wooden sword to my neck," There's no where to run!"

Before he could hit me with the sword, Penelope sprung up and crawled to the edge of the bed," Wait!"

We both stared at her for a moment before she let out her most ferocious growl and shook her imaginary mane, of course! Aslan was the one who destroyed the White Witch and she was making sure we got the story right. How cute she was, shaking her mane like a lion!

"Grrrrrrrr!" she let out a roar that we pretended shook all of Narnia and took the life out of me.

As if on cue, I dropped my head to the ground and shut my eyes closed. Dead.

Mother let out a hearty laugh and then gave us all a round of applause. I stood up from my place on the ground as well as Jacob and we climbed back onto the bed with mother. We gathered around her as she closed the book for the night and we all groaned," Why? Just one more…pleaaaaaaaasee?"

With a smile on her face, she shook her head," Children, your father is to come home any minute now and he mustn't know of any of this…correct?"

Each of us shook our heads in agreement. He was due home any minute.

"Now, I believe that one story is enough for tonight. Tomorrow we shall read even more! My kings and queens, let's head off to bed for it is getting late," she told us all as she shoved the covers off of her. As she got up, she made sure to hide the book in the special chest she kept hidden under the floorboards in the far corner of the room.

"Penelope and Rosalie, head to the powder room so that I can brush out your hair before bed," she instructed us, for our hair was still tied up in a, then frazzled, braid," Jacob, I will prepare you for bed."

We obeyed and left her bedroom to enter the small powder room across the hallway. Jacob followed only to wash his face off in the wash tub, the water was lukewarm from sitting all day. He splashed water on his face before kissing us both on the cheek and leaving for bed.

Even as young as I was, I still felt the need to take care of my younger sister. It helped my mother greatly as well when I helped brush out Penelope's hair because I was the only one she sat still for.

I had Penelope sit on the stool, as I always did, and I slowly unweaved her dark brown hair. Her hair was much thicker and coarser than mine. My hair was nearly black, but Penelope's was definitely brown, just dark. I could hardly get my hair to stay in a braid without falling out because of its dullness. My little sister had a cute little curl at the end of her hair, something that she inherited from mother, for both Jacob and myself had hair that was straight as a stick. She never had problems keeping her hair in a braid, but typically a few curls would pop out here and there.

Penelope and I did share one trait though. Our eyes. We both shared large, round, blue eyes. Mother says they are bluer than the waters of the Eastern Sea, but both Penelope and I think her to be joking. They are very blue, though. Other than our eyes, we did not resemble each other too much. She resembles mother, tall, tan, and with brown curls, while I was tall with black, straight hair and tan skin.

Jacob, on the other hand, was a spitting image of our father when he was younger. Shaggy brown hair, with dark brown eyes and tan skin. He was quite a handsome boy and many of the village girls had their eyes set on him, even at such a young age. He shared father's personality, loud, commanding, yet caring.

Right when I had grabbed the brush to send it through Penelope's hair, I heard a thunderous footstep in the hallway and knew it could only be one person. Father.

"Daddy!" Penelope called, thinking the same though I just had.

Within a few moments, our father had appeared at the powder room door frame. He was always a rather short man, but in my eyes, he was tall. He had curly brown hair, graying in spots, and brown eyes that showed some aging, but still filled with joy to see his girls.

"Getting ready for bed are we?" he asked as Penelope climbed off the stool to embrace him.

He picked her up and gave her a tight squeeze and kiss on the cheek before I hugged him tight. He groaned as he picked me up," You are growing up so fast! One day I may not be able to do this anymore."

I smiled at my father," That's okay Daddy," I tried to comfort him.

He looked at me," You get too heavy to pick up, but you won't ever get too old for a good tickle," he began tickling me all over my body and I couldn't resist bursting into laughter. He stopped after torturing me and then placed me down and kissed me on the cheek," I'll be in to tuck you both in."

Penelope sat back down and as my father turned to leave, I continued brushing out her long hair," Rosy, I'm tired," she whined.

Her hair was all the way down her back and very hard to brush, but it was not as bad as it normally was. I combed through all of the knots and snags quickly as I could because I was just as tired as she was.

"There you are," I told her when I finished," You are all done, now go to your room and wait on Daddy."

She stood on the stool and gave me a big hug," Thank you Rosy and I love you."

There was something about the way that she said "I Love you" that really tugged at my heart. She looked deep into my eyes and said it and there was no doubt in my mind that she meant it with every fiber in her being.

I kissed her on the forehead and squeezed her," Goodnight, Penelope. You were a wonderful Aslan tonight."

She flashed me her big smile and then scurried off to bed.

Soon after, my mother entered the room and began unweaving my hair," Did you see your father?"

I nodded my head and met her eyes through the mirror reflection. Her long, dark hair was already brushed out long ago.

She looked down at my hair," Did he tell you where we are going tomorrow?"

I shook my head, curious as to what was going on.

Her fingers moved quickly and soon the braid was out of my hair. She began running our silver brush through it," We will be having dinner tomorrow with the other lords and their families. You all are to be on your best behavior, for some of the other lords insist on meeting you. I do not know if there will be any other children your age, but I know for sure that Prince Caspian will be there and he is your age exactly."

I sighed, for I knew that dinners were no fun at all," Do I _have _to go mother?"

She gave me a small smile in the mirror," Yes, my dear, but I will see to it that you sit by someone your own age."

I sighed once more and put my head in my hands on the vanity.

"Okay, Mommy," I replied, trying to be a good daughter.

"That's my girl," she answered, finishing off my hair and I threw water on my face before exiting the powder room and heading off to my own room. She followed me into my large room down the hallway.

I pulled down the covers and slid into bed. Father was walking into the room when I laid my head down. He walked over quietly and stood next to mother.

"Good night, Rosalie. We love you," Father spoke quietly as he bent down and kissed me one last time on my forehead. Mother repeated his action before tucking my blankets under my bed.

I watched them exit, hand in hand, and go to their own bed.

I closed my eyes and images of dancing trees and mermaids came to my mind that mother had told us about just yesterday. I pictured myself running through the fields and dancing with the trees. I twirled through the fresh air and fell to the soft ground of my dreams…


	2. Confusion and Dinner

**Author's Note:**** This chapter is a little longer, but it is important to the story I think. A lot more dialogue. I really want to hear feedback and thanks to those who have so far.**

**Again, I own nothing. :)**

Chapter Two: Confusion and Dinner

I woke up the next morning to the sound of my father's voice.

The servants came in with him and swiftly walked over to the other side of my room where the curtains were blocking the sun rays from flooding into my room. They whipped away the red, curtains and tied them back to the wall.

"Wake up, sweetheart," he said softly as he sat on the edge of my four poster bed, near me.

I rubbed my eyes, but turned my face back into my pillow to try and hide from the sunlight.

"Whaaat?" I whined, my voice muffled through the pillow.

"Darling, would you like to go on a horse ride this morning? I know it's been a while since the two of us spent some time together," he offered, smoothing my hair.

It had been _ages_ since we went on a horse ride, not just a while. He would always hold me on his lap as we rode his brown horse, Kingslee. It was tempting…stay in my lovely warm bed or go out into the bitter cold, snow covered trail.

I popped my head up and sat up in the bed, the cool air swarmed me and I wrapped my thin, night-gown clad arms around my body to keep heat in," I would love to, Daddy," I told him.

He chuckled as he tucked a hair behind my ear," Well, hurry up then, the horses are getting impatient," he teased as he left the room with a twinkle in his eye.

I drowsily stepped out of bed and almost fell over, one of the servants asked to make sure I was alright. I nodded my head to let them know that I was. One of them, Emily, I believe was her name walked with me to my closet on the far side of my room.

"You are going riding with your father today, correct my lady?" she asked me politely and opened the door to my closet.

I stepped inside and took a look over all of my clothes. I never picked them out on my own, but I always made sure to tell them what I do and don't like.

"Yes, I am," I replied simply, a yawn escaped my mouth. I was excited, just not happy to be out of my warm bed.

"How fun!" she replied as she began looking through all of my clothing," It looks as though it is snowing again, so you will have quite a lovely ride, but you will need to stay warm."

"I don't like to be cold!" I told her, as she searched my clothes.

"Neither do I ,Miss Rosalie," she agreed and I watched her as her blue eyes scanned each article of clothing and then shook her head in disapproval and passed it by," That's why I will try to find something nice and cozy for you."

I beamed at her and said," Good!"

She finally picked out a pair of tan trousers and a thick white tunic. Along with this, she grabbed a red hat and muffler to keep the snow out of my hair and my neck warm. She also picked up a large dark brown over coat and my riding boots.

After tying her thin blonde hair back, she helped me into my clothing. I thanked her and she took my thin night gown with her. She also put a pair of gloves into my hands then instructed me to go see my mother in the powder room.

"Good morning mom!" I greeted her and she turned her face to me and embraced me.

"Good morning, Rosalie," she told me, that calmness ever present in her voice.

Dumping all of my winter gear onto the vanity counter, I sat on her lap as she finished powdering her face," Did you hear that Daddy is taking me on a horse ride?"

She placed the powder brush down and nodded her head," Why of course! That will be a nice treat now won't it?"

I nodded my head," He hasn't taken me on a ride in a looooog time.

She nodded her head in agreement and grabbed the brush to unknot my hair," Your hair, sweetheart! It is a tangled mess, what did you do last night? Have a fight with a troll in your sleep?" she whispered the last part, I could hear the smile in her voice and see it in her face through the reflection.

I smiled at her as she ran the bristles through my hair. It took her a couple of minutes to get all of the knots out and to get the frizz to die down, but it finally sat down. She grabbed the hat that Emily had given me and placed it on my head," Let's go meet your father. I wouldn't want you to miss your departure time."

I grabbed my mother's hand and took along my winter gear; she guided me down the hallway of our quarters and then we reached the door that lead to the main corridors of the castle. We left our residence and went out into the castle, greeting people here and there. Some of them stopping to talk with my mother, but I was too naïve to recognize who they were. Or care.

We finally reached the horse stables where my father was feeding the black horse. She fixed my muffler around my neck and adjusted all of my other snow gear. I was stifling hot and rather hoped that it was cold out to chill me off.

"There are my girls!" my father announced as he walked towards us in the stables and kissed my mother, then picked me up and swung me around," Are you ready for our ride?"

I nodded my head vigorously.

"Don't keep her out in the cold for too long. Remember, you have to take Jacob to learn archery later, you promised him," my mother told him," And Rosalie…be good."

We both looked at her," Yes mom."

She smiled at the two of us together, but then my father was handing me back over to her.

"Hold her for a moment, Rebecca," he told my mother as he handed me over to her and he opened the gate to the stable to get on Kingslee. He came out on the horse after a couple moments of settling her down.

Kingslee was a beautiful brown and I always told my father that she shone in the sunlight. Her mane was well kept and she always looked so strong and powerful.

My mother carried me up the horse and my father reached down to grab me. He placed me on the hard saddle strapped to the mighty creature as he grabbed the reigns.

"Bye, sweetheart!" my mother called as I waved at her one last time and we were off," I love you both!"

Daddy kicked Kingslee and she sprinted out of the stables. I held on tight to the saddle and dad kept one arm protecting me from falling. I liked the feel of the wind and snow in my face. It broke the sweat that was beginning to from the thick winter gear. We passed over the drawbridge and through the town.

The townspeople saw us and waved at us gaily. A smile appeared on almost all of their faces. Father and I waved as we passed through and then father told me something that confused me.

"Perhaps one day, dear, you and your brother will be ruler of these people," he told me as we rode to the trail.

I looked up at him, somewhat baffled.

"Father, won't Prince Caspian be ruler one day? His daddy _is_ king," I asked him.

He didn't answer for a moment," Yes, but dear, there are some...issues with King Caspian. Not everyone likes him."

What was father saying? I may not have known much about monarchies at the time, but I did know that King Caspian had a son, for mother had told me, and I did know that when a King passed away, the son took over.

What would happen to King Caspian to make him not be able to be ruler? Didn't he deserve to be King?

"But he is very nice! What has he done wrong?" I asked, trying to grasp the concept my father was trying to present me with.

Snow was softly falling as the horse slowed and we rode through the woods. The trees and the trail were clad in snow as Kingslee pranced through.

My father sighed," You are too smart for your own good Rose! I will end my thought with saying that there may be a change in Kings by the time you are grown and perhaps it will be in our family."

"But daddy-" I tried, but he interrupted me.

"Rosalie! Just-stop asking questions, dear!" he said, quite sternly and I looked up at him trying to figure out what he was saying.

A change in leadership? Was Daddy telling me that _he_ wanted to be King?

I was rather confused with what my father was telling me, but I put it out of my mind for the time being because I did not want to discuss such matters with my father. Kingslee tromped on through the snow and it was such a beautiful landscape.

We passed by the frozen river and I asked if we could go ice skating on it, but father said it was not nearly frozen enough. I begged and pleaded, but father's whole mood had seemed to change after our talk about monarchy. He was much more serious and I could not figure out why.

Our ride was ended short because father claimed that he needed to get back to be with Jacob.

* * *

"Penelope, come here!" I called as I chased my two-year old sister through the dining hall. She was going to go stay with the maids while we went to dinner that night, but she was not quite ready to go, apparently.

"You'll never catch me!" she sprinted through the living room right at the time that Jacob and father were returning from the archery lesson. They took off their boots and father grabbed the speed demon right before my eyes, his attitude had changed since I last saw him.

"Ahh, but _I_ will!" he replied to her challenge and she cackled as he picked her up and she squirmed in his grasp.

"Daddy! Don't let Rosy get me!" she cried, squirming out of his hands.

"Dad, she has to go to be with Emily while we eat dinner!" I pleaded with him.

Father's eyes met mine and then he looked back at Jacob," What do you think, son? A very important decision we have, do we give the little girl go to her nanny or let her go free?"

Jacob smirked," Definitely let her go free. It would be no fun to just _turn _her in."

"My thoughts exactly," he said and then released her in the opposite direction of me. I pouted.

"Jacob!" I screamed in frustration and then continued chasing the little rebel.

Mother soon entered from the hallway," Rosalie! We haven't much time, now come and get your hair curled!"

Penelope didn't mind our mother, but I defended my case," Mom, she won't stop and you wanted me to fetch her!"

Mother looked at father and then at Jacob and shook her head at them," Just now getting home are we?"

"We went a little longer than we thought," I heard father say as I cornered Penelope.

"Why don't you both go get ready? We are to leave in an hour" mother offered to them as I literally drug the crying Penelope to my mother's feet by her wrist.

"Rosalie!" mother scolded.

"She wouldn't stop!" I defended myself.

_I could have drug her by her hair_, I thought to myself, but didn't dare say aloud.

Father and Jacob got a good chuckle out of my dragging my sister across the room, but mother was appalled.

She picked the crying baby up off the ground and told me to go to the girls in the powder room so they could curl my hair and dress me.

I obeyed and ran off to the room so they could pretty me up for the dinner. They had picked out a blue, velvet dress that had a small train. I sat down, but before long I was thrown up and stripped of my clothing and threw the deep blue dress over my head as I stuck my hands up. They smoothed it over my body before putting me back down onto the stool.

They began wrapping my black hair around the hot iron, but I found that it would be useless to do this...my hair didn't want to be curly, but they tried anyways as a lady put powder on my face.

I played with my mother's pendant on the vanity as she entered the other side of the room.

"My lady!" the maids cooed as she entered and then dressed her in her blue dress. Hers was a much lighter color than mine and had lacing on the bodice. My mother was very fond of lacing and they began dressing her up for tonight as well.

After, seemingly, forever they let me get up and claimed that I looked beautiful.

I looked at myself in the floor length mirror in the powder room and admired the dress they picked for me. I was in awe of it. It was lovely and I couldn't have liked it anymore. It was so big and fancy that it would be hard for me to do anything other than just sit and listen to grown ups talk and laugh, but despite that, I felt grand.

My mother came up behind me, soon after, and placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked at her and she looked like an angel. Her dark hair fell well down her shoulders and curls cascaded down her back. The light blue dress made her blue eyes look as though they glowed," Come now Rosalie, let us go and have a good time!"

"Let's go!" I agreed as I walked ahead of her and out into the hallway.

* * *

When we arrived at the dinner in the Great Hall, almost every other person invited had already been seated. They greeted us cordially as we entered the large dining room and the decorations were lovely. Flowers of every sort of color were spread out all over the table and the lights were dimmed.

"Sopespian! Nice of you to show up, we were beginning to wonder whether or not to send a search party for you!" Lord Miraz poked fun as he stood up to shake hands with father.

"Better late than never, correct my lord?" my father replied as Miraz greeted my mother with a kiss on her hand.

"Good to see you my lady," he said to my mother and then looked to Jacob," What a fine young man you are growing up to be!"

Jacob beamed at Miraz, he loved anyone who thought he looked to be older than what he was. I rolled my eyes.

"And you," he bent down to get at eye level with me," Are quite a gem. Look just like your mother," he told me as he grabbed my hand and kissed my hand. My mother blushed and grabbed my hand to move us along.

It took forever for us to arrive at our seats, everyone wanted to talk to us, but after many kisses on our hands and warm greetings, we got to our seats. Mother had requested we sit by the royal family because she thoroughly enjoyed the Queen's company. She also wanted me to have someone to speak with, that being Prince Caspian. Jacob requested to sit by one of the other lord's older sons and mother allowed him to. He was just across the table from us.

Father sat to the right of King Caspian, a jolly looking fellow with dark skin and thick, dark hair. Mother told me that he was a very nice looking man. He was also very tall from my own, young observation. Father struck up conversation with the king quite quickly. Glozelle and father's other friends were nearby for conversation as well. I was sitting next to mother and found there was a boy about my age sitting next to me who I assumed to be Prince Caspian.

When I sat down, he looked away almost immediately, but I tried to get him to talk," Are you Prince Caspian?" I asked, knowing that he was, but wanting to make sure.

He looked at me, but only briefly and said," Yes, I am."

He didn't talk for awhile, which made those few minutes very painful. I sat trying to eat the salad, but it was too dry. I tried talking to my mother, but she had busied herself with talking to the Queen. Jacob was too far away to talk with so I sat, very bored staring at my uneaten food. I was so desperate that I even tried chatting with some of the servants as they passed, but they ruled me off as too childish to speak with from what I could tell.

"Are you Rosalie Sopespian?" he finally asked me after several long moments, it surprised me so much that I almost looked around to see if anyone else had said it.

"Yes, that is me," I replied, looking right into his dark brown eyes. He looked just like his father, only much younger.

"My mother said that you are my age," he told me, very quietly, but I did not care how quiet he was. Quiet or loud, he was better than shoving dry vegetables in my mouth.

"Are you six?" I asked him.

He nodded his head and I smiled at him. After a few moments, I asked," Do you like horses, Prince Caspian?"

"I do!" he replied, a smile appearing on his face," I hope to ride a horse all over the land of Narnia one day!"

I gasped, for this sounded like a great idea," That sounds like an adventure!"

"It will be! A grand adventure at that!" he told me," Do you have a horse?"

" Well, not my own, but I have ridden my father's horse Kingslee," I told him as they brought out the main entrée.

The grown ups had some sort of a toast with their wine bottles and mother prompted me to put up my water glass. Our conversation was very in-and-out because of all the happenings going on with the meal.

"Well, maybe he will let you borrow it and come with me when I grow up!" he proposed, and then took a sip of water.

I laughed, it sounded like fun, but I knew my father would never let me go," Why, Prince Caspian, I couldn't just leave my family. They would miss me."

"Why not? They couldn't miss you all that much." he asked, looking right at me," It wouldn't take _that_ long."

"Narnia is a big place, Prince," I told him, though really I would have loved to go on an adventure.

He pondered this for a few moments," Well, maybe not _all_ of Narnia…just a large chunk of it," he told me later," And you can ride my horse!"

I enjoyed my conversation with the prince over all sorts of topics, mostly adventures. We both shared a big imagination and a good amount of creativity. Mother told me that I needed to eat some of the roast they had served later on in the night so between bites, I would continue our conversation.

After the desert was served, a chocolate cake with a special frosting over the top, I was beginning to get tired, as was Caspian. Now, only the adults were talking with bare plates in front of them and wine glasses in their hand. Caspian and I were hardly talking to each other anymore, but merely leaning on our mothers' shoulder for a pillow.

"Caspian," I heard his mother whisper to him and he looked at her wearily," Let's go to bed now, son. Your father is ready to leave."

Soon after I heard my own mother prompting me to get up. I pushed the tall chair from the table," Rosalie, let's go on back sweetheart, your father wishes to stay a little longer."

The men left at the table were very loud and boisterous. My father included. Glozelle was sitting next to him, his best friend, along with some other men. Miraz was missing, which I found odd. I did not understand that they were drunk and my mother did not wish me to see him in such a state. She tried talking to him several times before we left, but he was oblivious.

She beckoned Jacob to come along as well, for his friend was leaving with their family as well.

"We will see you at home," she told me. Father was too busy laughing to even take note.

"Bye daddy," I tried, but he didn't hear me.

I almost considered trying once more, but mother pushed me to follow the Caspians out. My mother began speaking in hushed whispers with the Queen and I walked next to Caspian and his father.

"Did you have fun with Miss Rosalie tonight, son?" the King asked Prince Caspian.

He nodded his head fiercely and told him about all of our conversations. The King laughed then said," What an adventure! It sounds as though you have made a new friend."

"I have! Can she come over some time father?" he asked his dad and I blushed.

"Why of course, any friend of yours is a friend of the whole family," he told his son as we walked toward the grand staircase down the hall," Would you be our guest sometime Rosalie?"

I smiled as they both looked at me, pleading eyes," Why of course!"

We continued walking along as mother and the Queen continued talking up until we reached their royal quarters. Jacob was walking alongside me.

"It was nice seeing all of you again," mother told them as the King opened the door," Rosalie, tell the Caspians goodbye."

"Goodnight!" I told them all and they all bid me farewell.

"I hope I'll see you again soon," Prince Caspian told me and I beamed back at him.

"I hope so too!" I told him excitedly; he was definitely my new friend.

"Goodbye!" Mother and Jacob said and then we began our walk back to our own quarters.

"Dinners aren't so bad mother!" I told her, smiling while we walked. I was ready to get my large, fancy dress off of me.

Mother looked down at me and laughed," Well, they are a little less painful when you have a friend."

"Yes, I like Prince Caspian, he is very nice," I said as we turned the corner to another empty corridor. It was rather eerie walking the halls at night, but I was glad to have my mother and brother there," May I go see them one day?"

My mother opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word we heard a scream. Not just _a_ scream. An earsplitting scream that could have very well woken up the whole town and broken all the windows in the castle.

"The Queen," my mother whispered and then picked me up and we ran back down the hallway to the royal quarters," Jacob, come along!"

The scream was repeated and it became louder as we got closer," Mommy, what's going on?"

"I don't know, sweetheart," she told me as we turned the corner once more to reach their door.

"No, no, no! Please don't!" the Queen's voice wailed once more as my mother tapped hard on the door.

"Let me in!" Mother called, hitting the door hard. I clung to my mother tightly.

The scream wailed again and the door gently creaked open. Mother placed me on the ground and told me to stay right where I was as she entered the room. When she opened the door, I heard her let out a gasp and then I saw her run down the hallway through the creaked door.

"Stop, identify yourself you murderer!" she screamed as she ran down the hallway.

My heart was pounding out of my chest and after a few brief moments, I decided to walk into the residence with every ounce of courage I could find in my heart. I saw that on a large seat, Prince Caspian was sitting balling and my mother's words soon made sense. Tears were falling from his eyes like a river breaking through a dam.

"Should we go in?" I asked my brother, who was just as shocked as I. He nodded.

We entered the room and I made the mistake at looking at the ground. Two dead bodies. His parents, both stabbed through the middle and the King's sword lay between them both. I almost screamed, but took a hard swallow and went to my friend who was crying hard tears. They were so cold, so lifeless. The opposite of their actual personalities.

I didn't want to say anything, mostly because I didn't know what to say, but all I did was put my small hand on the prince's, trying to be as much of a comfort as a six year old could be.

My mother soon re-entered the room," They got away."


	3. The Real Lord Sopespian

**Author's Note: Merry Christmas all!**

**I own nothing still. :)  
**

**Hope you all enjoy! Thanks to reviewers!**

Chapter Three: The Real Lord Sopespian

The years after the death of the King and Queen were hard. The Telmarines as a whole were going down hill after their death. The council of Lords were not doing their job and running the country down. They were without a King for many long years, for Caspian could not take his father's place until he was eighteen years old.

Caspian became like a brother to me. We spent almost every day together. While we were still young, we spent those days running about the castle grounds and getting as close to( or sometimes going over) boundaries set for us. Then as we grew older, we spent those days sitting in Doctor Cornelius' office reading up on different tales from the Old Narnians.

Doctor Cornelius was Caspian's caretaker. As much as I pleaded my father to let him stay with us, he would not allow it. He claimed that we already had a handful with our own family and adding another six year old boy(at the time) to the mix would not be tolerable. Mother and him argued much over Caspian, but in the end it was father who won. Mother was ready to welcome another child in, but father was not.

Caspian was first assigned a nanny to live right his parents died. Mother and I would go visit him on a daily visit with his nanny right after the death. The nanny and mother got along very well because they both shared the same belief that stories from Old Narnia should be taught to Telmarine children.

Many a day, they would sit and drink tea while Caspian and I ran around the castle grounds going on a grand adventure. Mother trusted us enough that we would not run off and break her rules, but we did.

Unfortunately, the day came that Miraz came to check in on the nanny and Caspian. He had heard from an "un-named" source that she had been speaking of Old Narnia and telling Caspian all of it. She told him the truth and said that she felt it was necessary to tell Caspian about his past. Miraz was appalled and had her sent away, mother told me.

Mother was deeply saddened by this because the nanny was one of her closest friends after the Queen.

Caspian came to stay with us in the time that his nanny was gone and the Lords were searching for a new home for him. We spent many nights awake in my mother's room learning all about the Narnians while my father was off arguing about the young prince's accommodations. Before long, Doctor Cornelius was assigned to be his caretaker.

When Cornelius first moved into the castle Caspian was already twelve years old and mother warned Caspian to not speak of anything we had taught him about Narnia unless he was for certain that he was of same belief.

It did not take long for Caspian to figure out that Cornelius was a believer in Old Narnia because he was soon telling Caspian his own stories of Narnia. Mother even got to know Doctor Cornelius fairly well. Sometimes, in order to protect herself from father finding us out, she would tell us children we could go across the hall to Cornelius' for our lesson.

Those years were such a happy time, we lived in peace and things were actually going back to normal…inside the castle that was. What was going on in the outside world, I didn't know, nor did I care much of until I reached the age of about seventeen. I began looking outside my windows to see people suffering.

When I was seventeen, I remember walking with Caspian on a warm summer night on the trail that we always walked as children.

"What a lovely summer evening!" I exclaimed as we exited the castle.

Caspian smiled and nodded his head," It's so nice to be out of that place. Doesn't it seem much harder to sneak away now that we are older?"

I smiled at my dark headed friend," Yes, it was quite easy then. No one expected much of us, but now we are growing up. One of us is turning eighteen next week and ready to take over as King of the Telmarines," I teased.

He walked next to me and grinned," If they will give it to me."

I looked at him sideways," And why would they not? You are the rightful heir to the throne."

"Yes, Rosalie," he began," But for some reason I think that the circle of lords enjoy being the temporary King for now. I don't know for sure what my father thought of him, but for some reason I can't help but think he is looking down not pleased."

I had to agree with him. The Telmarines were definitely struggling and not as joyous as they were when his father was ruling. The trees used to dance with a certain magic to them and the people used to beam with joy and now…it was a whole different story. Almost everything had died and many of the trees had been cut down in order to build up the Telmarine military supplies, not that we were in any threat of being attacked, but just simply because we could do it. Greed.

Caspian had a good reason to be worried he wouldn't get his throne. I doubt they would give it away without some sort of catch.

I nodded my head," The people need a new ruler and you will be a breath of fresh air for them, King Caspian."

"Don't call me King," He scolded, but then laughed as we walked along the trail," I'm not there yet…I do hope it is a smooth transition when and if it does happen."

"It will happen," I assured him," You will be disappointed though because I can guarantee you that it will be very hard for you and you will probably face many trials."

"How encouraging. Thank you, dear Rosalie," he replied sarcastically and kicked a pebble in front of him. I let out a laugh.

"Hey, as your friend it's my job to be honest to you, not lie to you," I argued as we came upon the river.

"I guess you have a point," he sighed," I do know that. I can always dream can't I?"

I sighed along with him," Oh Caspian," I started," Isn't that what we've been doing our whole life? Dreaming. Dreaming of a far off adventure with daring battles and fierce horses. We have been living in a dream for quite some time now, I would say."

He picked up a stone and skipped it over the pooling river where we swam as children," You make a very good point, Rosalie. "

I shrugged my shoulders," Just a thought, King."

I was asking for trouble.

"What did I tell you about calling me King?" he looked at me raising an eyebrow.

I smirked," Not to do it."

He grabbed me and I squealed like a little girl. I hated being picked up and he knew it. When I was little, it was acceptable that my father pick me up, but not now. I was almost a grown lady…at least in my mind.

I fought him, laughing all the way, but he was much stronger that I was. That's why he always beat me in sword fighter, archery, and fencing. He held me over the pool of water and I pleaded him not to.

"Please, Caspian, no! I'm sorry. I'll never call you-"

I was cut off by the cool river water filling up into my nose and mouth. I pushed off on the bottom of the pool once I reached it and plummeted to the surface. I pushed my, now wet and messy, hair out of my face.

"Caspian!" I screamed, pushing my wet hair out of my face.

"Yes?" he asked me, trying to play innocent," Is there a reason you're submerged in water, my lady?"

I laughed and splashed him with water," You pushed me!"

"Me?" he asked, shocked that I would accuse him," Never."

I rolled my eyes," Then who could it have been?"

He flashed me a smile and then bent down to lend me a hand," I haven't the slightest, but let me help you up, my lady."

I smiled at him and went along with his nice gentleman scheme at first, but I was deceiving. I grabbed his hand hard and gave a good tug, enough to catch him off guard and give him a good plunge into the water.

I threw myself out of the water and quickly pulled my soggy shoes off my feet and began sprinting up the trail. I heard him yell my name from the water and soon when I looked back he was gaining on me.

Running in a wet dress was quite the challenge, but I managed well. I ran as fast as I could and the air that was once nice and warm, was now freezing. I wrapped my arms around myself.

"You deceitful girl!" Caspian called from behind me and a smile appeared on my face.

"You have no room to accuse, King!" I taunted over my shoulder, I could see the castle in the distance.

I ran until I finally reached the stable entrance to the castle. My feet were a mess and scratched up rather badly from the woods, but it was no dire injury. I ran through the horse stables until I reached the door, I could hear him close behind me. I threw open the door to the castle.

Right when I got in, I shut the door in Caspian's face and then continued running. I heard him get the door open which prompted me to quicken my pace. I was sure that I was leaving a nice trail of water behind me.

"Rosalie!" a stern voice yelled from top of the staircase as I sprinted by. I stopped in my tracks for I knew who it was.

Father.

He slowly walked down the stairs next to his colleagues Miraz and Glozelle. Anger was painted on his face. I felt Caspian run up behind me, laughing, and then he realized we were in trouble.

"Father, we were only messing around. Nothing severe," I tried to defend our case, but Caspian put a hand on my arm.

"Yes, this is my fault. I-" he began, but my angry father interrupted.

"Good," he hissed," I'm glad that someone will take responsibility for this because this is not the way that royal children behave! I would understand if the two of you were still six years old, but you are not! You are almost adults now and we can't even allow you to go on a walk without taking a plunge in the river?"

I listened to his insults and took them before finally I asked," You have made your point. Now may we leave?"

"Yes, but _he_ is not allowed at our home anymore," my father told me as I passed him going up the stairs.

I stopped in my tracks.

"Father! That is not fair! Over one stupid little incident, you are banning my best companion from coming over to our house?" I hissed right back at him as Caspian walked past to go back to dry off in his quarters.

"I'll see you later," he whispered in my ear before disappearing around the corner at the top of the stairs.

"It's not just one stupid little incident! There have been problems ever since you began hanging around that boy! You have some nerve to speak so rudely to your father," he told me, he was being stubborn about this whole thing," Just, get out of my sight and go dry off. We will discuss this at home."

I stared at him for a long hard moment before finally turning on my heel and storming off.

He was intolerable!

I loved my father as a little girl, but it seemed that when I began spending time with Caspian, father began treating me differently. He was much more short tempered with me and he was very strict about when _he_ wanted me to see Caspian. I never really understood why he didn't want me to be around Caspian until later that night.

* * *

I had gone home and dried off, but I was still very enraged at my father. I wanted my questions answered and I would not calm down until he answered them. I waited in the sitting room next to the fire while Jacob sat in the loveseat near the window, reading some War strategy book.

"You know, Rosalie, you should really be more careful when you're walking around the river. I guess you never were the most graceful sister I had. That was definitely Penelope," he teased me, looking up from his book.

I was not in the mood for teasing. I threw the closest pillow in reach at his head and he blocked it with his hand," A little testy are we?" he asked, raising a brow.

"I'm not in the mood, Jacob," I growled at him and curled my legs up under me.

"Fine, I will leave you alone then," he said, defeated.

I pouted to myself by the fire. I sat there for a long time, not realizing that time was slipping by. Penelope came in later and gave me a hug before bed. She had grow into quite the young lady. With an attitude. She was thirteen and thought she was much older. Mother came in later to tell me that I should have been heading off to bed, but I informed her that I needed to speak with father. She respected my wishes, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and left.

Father didn't get in until late, well after Jacob had shut off the light to reading and Penelope was far into dreamland. It was only myself and the fire and my father when he entered.

"Good evening," he greeted me after he had taken off his shoes and coat.

I didn't answer him, but only glared.

"Still mad at me, are we?" he assumed as he stepped over to the window on the other side of the room," You know it's all because I love you."

"It didn't sound like that father," I told him, a bitter edge to my voice as I stared into the flames.

He chuckled," You think I discipline you just for the fun of it, Rosalie?"

I didn't answer this either. He walked away from the view from the window and walked slowly over to take a seat across from me.

"Prince Caspian is not the best company to have," he told me softly, propping his feet on the table.

I glanced at him," What has he ever done that is so wrong?"

He sighed and ran his fingers through his graying hair," It's not what he _has_ done or even who he _is_," he hesitated," It's who he's _going_ to be."

My eyes were flooded with confusion, I'm sure, as I looked at him," He is _going_ to be a great leader. What is so bad about that? You have never made since to me father when it came to leadership and monarchies."

" Do you want to be happy?" he asked me, randomly.

"Why, obviously father! You are making no sense!" I started to stand up to leave, but he interrupted me.

"NO! SIT!" he yelled at me and I obeyed.

" Rosalie, I have been trying to decide how to tell you this for the last seventeen years and the right words have never hit. I tried numerous times, but each and every time they have turned into awkward, disasters. So, please listen," he pleaded me. I could read it in his eyes that he was sincere and this was his only chance he got.

"Here is your last chance," I grumbled and crossed my legs back under me.

"You must know that from the moment _you_ were born, I felt a special connection with you. That same connection I felt when I looked into the eyes of your mother for the first time, your newborn sister, and your newborn brother. I made a vow to myself that I would give us the richest, fullest life we had ever experienced. That vow still lives to this day.

When you were about six years old, I took you on a horseback ride in hopes that I would tell you my plan then, but I saw so much innocence in you still and I could not pull myself to do it. I tried again when you were ten, twelve, and here I am now trying again," he paused for a moment and I stared at him. This was paining him to tell me.

"I _want_ to be King, Rosalie. More than _anything_," he told me finally and before he could continue I interrupted because I was furious.

"What? _You _want to be King?" I asked, disgusted," I would expect something from Miraz or maybe even Glozelle, but father I thought you set-"

"For you, Rosalie! So _you_ could be happy!" he tried to defend himself.

I shook my head at him, ashamed," For _me_? What could I gain from _you_ being King? No, no, no, father you want to be King for _you. _Not for _me._ So don't you dare use me as an excuse for your rudeness. Don't use mother, or Jacob or Penelope either!"

"You would have anything you wanted! Everything in Narnia would be yours, love," he tried, tears running from his face," I've wanted this for you all since the day I married your mother."

Then something hit me. If he has felt this way for so long, then did he play a part in the murder of the King? Just how far would he have gone to The thought disturbed me, but the thought could not contain itself inside my head.

"Father," I whispered," Please, tell me, you played no part in the killing of the King."

Tears fell harder from his face as he reached out a hand to me," Daughter-"

"Father!" I said rather loudly," What did you do?" I whispered the last part.

He shook his head," I was not the wielder of the sword, Rosalie, you must believe that."

I didn't want to believe him. I was so disgusted by his greed and filth that I wanted to gather all of my belongings and leave him right there, but something pulled at my heartstrings to believe him.

"So what if you weren't!" I exclaimed," You probably planned the whole thing!" I spat at him.

He put a hand up, as if asking for mercy," Please, believe me when I say it was Miraz who came up with it all and I just merely went along with it."

"Ohhh, you_ only_ went along with it. That justifies nothing," I hissed at him.

"But it's mild compared to what I have planned now."

I shot him a look of shock. What more could he be doing? How could he be any worse?

I heard a troop of men running down the hallway, yelling. I listened. They were banging on the door across the hall from us…

Caspian.

"What are they going to do to him?" I growled at my father as I stood up.

Father's tears had barely dried and all he could do was try to grin now.

He stood up and looked right at me," Why don't you go look for yourself."

No…not him! He was…he was my brother…they couldn't do anything to him.

"No!" I cried and I put on my boots before throwing our door open.

I saw the busted down door across the hall and tears came to my eyes again. Tears of sadness, anger, and hatred.

_Please_,_ let this all be a dream_, I told myself in my head as I stepped closer to the wrecked door.

I took a step in and Doctor Cornelius' study was torn to pieces. They had broke down everything and the place was so neat and organized before. I never had a problem finding anything, but now it would have been a challenge.

I walked around the corner to hear male voices, whispering quietly and then all at once I heard their crossbows go off.

I leaned against the bookcase before looking and prayed. I didn't know if Aslan was real or not, but he was the only chance of Prince Caspian's survival.

"Aslan, if you're real…please…help," I whispered, quietly enough to make sure no one heard me.

I peeked my head around the corner to see a lot of confused soldiers.

"Where is he?" Glozelle demanded, tearing even more of the room apart.

Relief rushed over me. I didn't know where he was, but at least he wasn't here.

"Find him or else we are going to have a _very_ unhappy Miraz and Sopespian!" he yelled into one of his soldiers faces.

" You already have a _very_ unhappy Sopespian," I whispered to myself.

" Men, find Caspian and carry out orders if he is found. Get the horses, do anything to find him," he called out to the troops.

_Not just find him, but kill him_, I thought.

I ran back to my quarters and my father was gone. I didn't really care where he was. Probably off plotting with Miraz on how to kill Caspian, but I didn't want to know. I wanted to know how I could find Caspian.

As I passed the window to go to my room, I happened to see a black horse in the corner of my eye. The moonlight was shining down and I watched as the black horse crossed the draw bridge.

There was Caspian. Riding away from the blood-thirsty soldiers.

I ran to the balcony, sad to see him running away from the place we had shared so many precious memories and had experienced so much.

He was well into the town, almost to the treeline by the time I got to the balcony, but I didn't care.

"CASPIAN!" I screamed with all that was within me," CASPIAN!"

I would have never asked him to stay here, but I never thought it would be so painful to watch him go.

I knew one thing as I slid down to my knees; I would find Caspian and I would see him one last time...even if my life depended on it.


	4. Leaving

**Author's Note: I really have a lot of different ideas for where I want this story to go. I have had a lot of fun writing this story and would love to hear more suggestions on characters, relationships and such from you all! So, that being said, please let me know what you think by either a) reviewing or b) PM'ing me. All comments/critiques/advice are ****GREATLY**** desired and welcomed! I'd love to hear from you guys; it encourages me to continue with the story.**

**On a different note, as you know, I own nothing. :)**

**Enjoy guys…**

Chapter Four: Leaving

I awoke the morning after he left, curled up on the back balcony. I didn't even realize that I had cried myself to sleep. I guess no one even noticed that I was still outside. I sighed and pulled myself up off the hard ground and tried to let reality sink in.

My best friend was gone because his own people were out to murder him. All because of greed.

That sounded so wrong. I walked into the sitting room and saw that it was still dark in there. The sun had only just risen, so most of my family were probably still asleep.

I let out a huge yawn and made my way back to my large, comfortable bed. Hoping that maybe a proper sleeping place would help to ease my mind. I laid there for a long while before I realized that sleep was not coming to me and that I might as well dress myself and make use of the new day.

I did know one thing. I didn't want to stay there for much longer.

I also knew something else.

When I left there, I had no idea where I was going. I had never left the Telmarine castle or village my entire life. I figured that I could defend myself easily enough and hunt for my food and all, but my sense of direction outside of these walls was scary. I could make my way throughout the boundaries of the castle grounds and even a little on the outside, but not much more. I could only fend for myself for so long.

There was only one person who I knew could possibly help me.

Doctor Cornelius.

I grabbed a pair of dark brown trousers from my closet and threw off my sleep gown. I buttoned them up and grabbed a light green tunic to wear with sleeves that went down to my elbows, roughly. It was a little shorter than it was last year on me, but oh well it was clothing. My sister would never be seen in an article that was outdated. After I was sloppily dressed I found the mirror in my closet and tied my hair back.

I made my steps extra quiet and I grabbed my casual boots and slipped them onto my feet. When I was ready, I opened the door and crossed the hallway to Doctor Cornelius' room. I knocked softly, hoping that he was an early riser.

Footsteps were coming to the door, I could hear them and soon enough he opened the door for me.

"Why, good morning, Miss Rosalie! Up early aren't we?" the old fellow whispered to me and then invited me into his home.

"Doctor Cornelius," I embraced him when he closed the door," I miss him incredibly. It is like piece of my heart has ridden away on a jet black horse."

The old man sighed as he patted my back," Yes, my dear, but I am afraid there is nothing we can do now. Prunaprismia has already given birth to her child and Miraz is going to get what he wants now that the heir is gone."

Prunaprismia! I had forgotten about her. She was the wife of Lord Miraz and had gone through a very difficult pregnancy. The main reason I never thought much of her was because when she had become pregnant, mother and I offered to come and help take care of their quarters during the day. Instead of politely turning down the offer, she scoffed at us and found it offensive that we would even so much as think that she was weak enough not to be able to clean her own house.

"She gave birth to a son?" I asked Doctor Cornelius, who nodded his head to confirm my question.

This meant that Miraz, if approved by the other lords, could step up to the role of King and instead of Caspian blood keeping the throne…Miraz blood would overtake it since he know had an heir. A male heir.

My father was _not_ going to like this.

The thought of Miraz as King sent shivers up and down my spine.

"This is horrible," I whispered as we went into the study and he took a seat behind his desk and I across from the desk. The sun was just now poking through the windows bright enough to light up the room.

He nodded his head in agreement," Yes, Miss Rosalie, why did you come to see me this morning? Surely not just to talk about Miraz." he bluntly asked.

I knew I didn't want to talk about Miraz. I would have rather jumped from the top of the castle than sit through a conversation about him.

The wise man must have been able to tell that I was beating around the bush.

"Doctor, I want you to tell me something," I told him, leaning onto his desk," Where did you send Caspian?"

He looked at me for a long moment before answering," I do not know."

That was _not_ the answer I needed him to tell me.

"Sir, what do you mean? You mean to tell me that you just sent him off on a horse with Queen Susan's horn?" I asked, trying to figure out what was going on.

"I hadn't much time to plan anything else," he explained to me," I knew that Prunaprismia was giving birth, now I did not know the gender of the baby, but I had a chance that it would be a boy. If it was a boy, I knew that they would send a troop down here and kill your beloved friend in his sleep.

"I fetched the old horn from my closet and then heard them banging on the door. I knew it was a boy then. I immediately ran in to retrieve the Prince and exited him down to the stables through a secret passageway I found just after I first moved in. I had not much time to tell him anything else. He knows what to do if he is in trouble, just blow that horn."

"He knows that he must take over the throne and in order to do that he must find the Old Narnian's support. He is off searching for them, convincing him to join his army to take over the Kingship," the old man explained to me and as he talked I rested my head on my hands.

We sat in silence for a few moments as I pondered a few things.

An army? With creatures that have been extinct for who knows how long? Impossible. There was to be a war over this?

"Doctor Cornelius, aren't those creatures long extinct?" I asked him, confused by what he meant.

He shook his head," Rosalie, they are very much still alive today…for I am one of them…I am partially dwarf. My mother is a full-blooded dwarf."

I looked at him in shock. He looked nothing like the ones mother told me about.

He saw the confusion painted on my face.

"I don't have time to tell the whole story, for it would be a waste of my breath and painful for your ears, but please just believe that they are real and they are somewhere waiting for you and Caspian to find them," he tried to convince me and I guess that I would have to settle with that for the time being," Now are you sure this is what you desire? You have a nice life here, you know. Any other girl would be envious to be the daughter of a father as powerful as your own. He is right under Kingship."

I knew that I was angry with my father. More than angry, actually, outraged was a more appropriate word for the feeling I held in my heart towards him. The feelings of love and joy that I felt when I was just a young girl, were gone. They were long gone now. He would have to rebuild my heart and do something drastic in order to regain those old gleeful feelings.

Doctor Cornelius did make a good point. Many girls would love to be in my place. Many girls would go along with my father's sick plan just to get more pretty dresses and boys to look at them. They would allow their father to kill people just to have a pretty dress…sickening. But I was not one of those girls. I hated my father's plans and couldn't stand him anymore. I had to escape from him.

What could I do though? There was no way I could survive on my own…I depended too much on survival from those around me. I was pampered heavily by servants, maids…everything was given to me on a silver platter. Plus, could I send my other family members through the torture of not knowing where I was?

"What's going on in your head Miss Rosalie?" he asked me very softly as he leaned back in his chair.

I had no idea. Part of me was begging to get out of these walls even if it meant stealing my father's horse and riding off into the unknown and hurting anyone, but another part of me was attached to home. That part of me didn't like the thought of leaving my mother, Jacob and Penelope and mother.

I had a flashback of us jumping around in mother's room after learning about the newest tale in Narnia. We would get so excited about them and couldn't wait when we could transform into those characters. The three of us loved to do this, but then I remembered how Caspian would always join in on the fun as well and then my other side would step in and say that I had to find him.

"I want to find him, Doctor," I told him quietly, running my fingers through my knotted, black hair.

He chuckled at me," Rosalie, you realize that finding the Prince is like…let's just say you would have a better chance of finding Aslan himself. I haven't the slightest where he would be."

" I know, but something in my heart is telling me that I must find him. Surely, you can assist me in some way. Surely, you must have a clue as to where the Old Narnians are."

He put a hand on his chin and stroked his beard. He looked out the window at the landscape surrounding the castle for a brief moment before his eyes met mine," You are sure this is what you want to do?"

I nodded my head.

He took a breath in," Well then, you will first need a horse. Do you know how you can retrieve one?"

Kingslee. That would not be an easy task, but I had to steal her.

"Yes, Kingslee sir," I told him.

"You are really going to steal your father's horse, dear? You are sure you can live with that, morally?" he asked me. The tone in his voice was very doubting. He didn't think I could actually do this. He was testing to see just how determined I was.

"Doctor, my father has done many things, that are, as you say, morally wrong. I believe that stealing his horse can only be returning the favor on my part," I explained to him, my mother would have slapped me for the disrespect intended.

"Very well then," he replied, satisfied with my answer," If that is how you feel, then I would say that you are making the right decision. I will be able to provide a sword and dagger for your protection, along with a lantern for you to see your way at night time. I would suggest getting out of here as soon as possible if you wish to have any chance of tracking down the Prince."

I nodded my head. I was now beginning to be grateful for all of the swordsmanship lessons father had given me on dueling and fighting with a sword.

"Thank you," I told him as I stood up.

"Rosalie, I will meet you at midnight tonight at the horse stables. That gives you the rest of today to do the proper preparations. Try to be as stealthy as you can about your leaving. Make sure to gather plenty of food and pack a spare set of clothing. You will not be able to keep much with you.

"Life on the run is not for the faint of heart. You must realize that from the moment your mother and father wake up in the morning to see you are missing, you will become the country's second most wanted person. They will hunt you down," he warned me as I walked to the door.

I knew they would, but the words my father said last night rung clear,

_"I want to be King. More than anything."_

When would he draw the line to stop? Things would become worse with him and if I already could not stand him now…I would never be able to stand him later. Hunt me down, they would, but it would not bother me because I knew that I was taking a stand for something that the Telmarines have needed for a long time now.

"Then let the hunt begin."

* * *

I went through the rest of the day as any other day in the castle. Jacob challenged me to a duel and I accepted, something I normally did not do. His style of fighting was a bore to me. He was more of a skilled archer, not swordsman and I typically could pen him rather quickly.

I could tell he had been practicing, though, for his feet moved much quicker and he was much more balanced. I was impressed, but that didn't stop me from giving my all into the duel. Jacob was very bad at predicting what the opponent was going to do next and that lead to my pinning him soon.

Penelope wanted me to give her my thoughts on the new formal dresses that had been made for her. The seamstresses were standing all around her as she spun around in her pretty dress. She loved the perks of being in a Lord's family. The dresses, the lace, the silk, the maids waiting on her hands and feet. She thrived on all of these things which made her prone to drama and wanting everything her way.

I even managed to sneak down to the kitchen after they had finished cleaning up from dinner. I tried to be as sly as possibly as I threw two loaves of bread, butter, and some spare scraps of the roast into my small pack. They wouldn't stay good for long, but I hoped that my hunting with Caspian and my father from my earlier years would help me. I wrapped my food packet up tight and grabbed a canteen of fresh water as well and put them into my satchel I planned on taking with me.

I also made sure to put a spare set of trousers and a tunic in my satchel and that was almost everything that I could fit. I grabbed my velvet cape and put it on top of my two layers of clothing that I already wore. I stopped into the powder room one last time to tied back my hair and memories of my mother braiding my hair on the same stool flooded back to me. I couldn't think of that or else I would never leave, so I forced those thoughts away.

After all of my tasks that I needed to do were completed, it was almost time. I checked the hallway to be sure that all of my family was fast asleep. The house was silent and I looked to see that no one appeared to be awake. I ran as slowly as I could to the door to the main hallway.

This was it.

When I opened this door, I left my old life behind; I opened the door to a new life. A life was self-independent and adventurous. A life that wanted justice and was too stubborn to allow injustice to happen. I then thought to myself, hasn't this been the life I have dreamt of for years?

I threw the door open and without another word or goodbye, I was gone. I put my hood on my head and sprinted down the hallway and down one of the back stair ways. When I reached the main floor, I saw that there was a patrol out. I must have gotten lucky on the top floor.

I held tightly to the wall and slid myself along, looking down the corner that led to the stables.

Right around the corner was the entrance to the stables and there were two patrollers standing right in front of the stable entrance as if they knew I was coming. They were so close to me that I was afraid to breathe too loud for I thought they might hear me and my whole plot would be destroyed.

I looked around and noticed that there was a candlestick burning on the stairway wall. I quickly turned back around and blew out the candle burning aglow on the top. I took the metal contraption and snuck back down and peeked my head around the corner. They were still talking.

They continued their conversation for a good five minutes before finally one of them decided to check the other side of the corridor. Thankfully, he was the bigger of the two. I wouldn't have to attempt to knock him with a candlestick. The one guarding the door now looked rather scrawny. I could probably knock him out with my bare hands, but I didn't want to chance it.

"Eric, tell me if you see anything!" the other one hollered from down the hall.

"Will do!" he yelled back.

"Doubt it," Eric mumbled to himself," I never do."

I laughed to myself, well he was about to see something. I wasn't for sure how it would work, but I had to do it now or never.

"Eric," I whispered once, as I inched my way back towards the stairs.

The stairs curved as they went up, I planned that if I could lure Eric away from the door by whispering his name, as I hid behind the curve of the stairs. As he turned the curve, I would hit him square in the head with the end of the candlestick.

"Who are you?" he called out as he turned the corner.

I made my way up the stairs until I reached the curve, I held my breath as I spoke his name again.

"Identify yourself!" he demanded and sweat dripped down my forehead.

Then I saw his face. He was young, probably not much older than I, but I couldn't dwell on it for instinct told me to hit and hit I did. I smacked him square in the forehead and a shocked glanced became etched on his face. He fell to the ground, knocked out.

I put the candlestick back on the wall of the staircase and quickly made my way down the corridor right to the, now cleared, entrance to the stables. I went through the door quickly and then the smell of horses filled my nose.

"Rosalie!" A hushed whisper called my name from the other side of the stables, "We haven't much time! Come along!"

The voice was Doctor Cornelius' and before long I saw the short man on the other side of the stables. As I approached, I noticed that he had already put the saddle on the chestnut brown horse.

"Doctor Cornelius!" I said happily and embraced him, but he pushed me off.

"Mount the steed now!" he commanded me and I followed his orders. I pet the massive creature on the nose before climbing onto her back.

"Listen to me child, here is your sword, only yield it when necessary and here is your dagger. Remember, you must find a source of water before you set up camp for the night. Best of luck to you, I fear someone might know of your plans. They have been keeping an extra close eye on me ever since Caspian escaped and I wouldn't be surprised if we had some eavesdroppers. Remember your cause and remember that Aslan is always with you!" he told me, and handed me the weapons which I quickly tied around my waist and secured them. His voice running so quickly that it made my nerves jump up. When he was done I grabbed the reigns. He tied a lantern to the saddle as well.

"Thank you, for everything," I told him finally and as he predicted someone had been watching us. The door to the stables flung open and the doctor hit the horse hard in order to make it run.

I kicked my heels, pushing the horse to go.

"Trust Kingslee! She knows what she is doing," he called one last time and I looked down at the creature sprinting, I could feel a defiant spirit in her," For Aslan!"

I smiled at the last part. I was trusting a horse to take me into a land that was uncharted for me. Doctor Cornelius told me nothing about this earlier, but I felt it was my one and only option.

Kingslee ran quickly through the stables before finally we reached the gate that lead to the outside world. It was not extremely tall, but it was not short either. It was a good four feet tall and a guard shut it closed, blocking our path.

"You're not going anywhere," he yelled as Kingslee got closer.

I didn't know what to do, but the horse below me knew just what she was doing. I tried to slow her up, but she kept running, full force at the gate. I tried yelling at the horse, pulling the reigns back, but the horse seemed to be taking orders from a force larger than myself.

I heard more hooves following us. Deciding that I could not stop the proud horse, I pushed her to go faster, trusting that she knew what she was going to do. Like Cornelius said.

Like a bird, she took flight and bounded over the closed barrier and we were free. I took a deep breath, but had no time to let what happened sink in. The impact back to the ground was rough, but it did not slow her from sprinting away at full speed.

"Catch her! Don't let her out of your sight!" I heard one of the men behind me call to his troop as I looked back.

I had to see if the other horses could repeat the stunt, but laughed when the men's black, intimidating, strong war horses could not even make the jump. One of the men began yelling at the guard nearby," Open the gate! Now!" he screamed.

It was completely dark out and I was riding off only on moonlight. I looked back at the castle one last time and saw something that shocked me. As the other soldiers struggled with their horses, I was staring at the sight of my crying sister on the balcony of our home while Kingslee ran full speed towards the tree line.

"ROSALIE!" she screamed from the balcony, in the distance.

I flashbacked to when I saw Caspian leaving in the night, could I do that to them what he had done to me? I could not stand to see her balling like she was.

There was always time to turn back...

As her scream echoed in my ear, so did the sound of a horn far off in the night. Queen Susan's horn.

**Author's Note: Please, don't forget about those lovely reviews or else I might not update as often. Thanks guys! I appreciate it.  
**


	5. Mice Don't Talk  Or Do They?

Chapter Five: Mice Don't Talk…Or Do They?

The gate burst open from the stables and out raced the guards. The image of my crying sister stayed burned in my head, but Kingslee's heart was not as easily broken as mine was. She kept on pounding forward towards the forest, probably mad at me for making her wait. I was glad that she knew our mission because had it been just me I would have ran back to the castle to embrace my crying sister.

I couldn't hold onto that thought for much longer because I was soon being chased by all of the guards that had just broken loose. I soon realized what the beginning of "life on the run" was going to be like.

"C'mon Kingslee," I whispered to the horse as she raced through the city," C'mon girl."

She kept on pounding hard toward the same tree line that Caspian had escaped from the night before. I still heard the men gaining on me, fast.

"Do **not** let her get away!" one of the men yelled; I recognized the voice: Glozelle," Rosalie, stop now!"

I thought that, perhaps, if it were one of the other generals then I might not be in trouble _as_ quickly if I were caught, but since it was Glozelle on my case…well I would get a scolding from him almost as bad as my father.

Getting caught was not an option. I had to push that out of my head as well.

The sound of his voice pushed me to push Kingslee harder. She ran and ran until we finally reached the end of the city and the forest was upon us. The forest was very dark and I could barely see anything in front of me or around me. It would have been nice if I could pull out the lantern, but that was impossible for me to do while keeping my balance on this speeding horse.

What if we were about to run into a tree and spoil the whole plan? What if they were closer than we thought, but we didn't know because of the darkness?

_Trust Kingslee. She knows what she is doing._

Doctor Cornelius' voice reminded me and I was at a little more ease with that in mind.

The trees were very dense in the forest for I could feel branches brushing up against me for the whole sprint. I kept my head bent just to be safe. The most humiliating thing I could imagine was myself hitting my head on a thick branch and falling to my capture. I would probably have a permanent bump on my forehead to remind me of my stupidity.

"Rosalie!" Glozelle yelled once more; he was closer," Stop this immediately!"

There was no stopping now. I kept pushing her to go father and father until the trees began to thin out a little more and moonlight broke through to the ground so I could actually see my path.

Well, I soon found out that everything is either a blessing or curse and being able to see was both.

Up ahead, there was a drop off. I assumed there to be a river at the bottom, but the ravine was wide and impassable. My heart dropped for I knew we were caught. There was no way of getting around it.

Kingslee was not having the same skepticism that I was. She kept on running full speed. Kingslee may have been able to jump a gate back at the castle, but that was nothing compared to a gaping ravine! Again, I found myself pulling on her reigns with no success.

"Kingslee!" I yelled at her, but she simply whinnied at me in response," This is ridiculous!"

I thought that she would turn last minute and begin racing alongside the ravine, but that was not the case. She was still going full speed.

"Are you mad?" Glozelle called from behind me.

_No,_ I thought,_ But my horse definitely is._

I didn't answer him because, quite frankly, I was too busy screaming at my idiotic horse to stop, but there was no way she would. I kept trying and trying until we were once again airborne and I was determined that she was Narnia's first bird horse.

I never stopped screaming and didn't dared look down because I knew what was down there. Death. I didn't want to fall to my death because of some stupid horse. My heart was pounding out of my chest as we seemingly floated through the air. It was a good long flight because the ravine was not skinny by any means.

To my surprise, the hooves met cold, hard earth on the other side and it sent a shiver up my spine. Kingslee slowed down for the first time and I looked back at the men who were stopped at the edge. Glozelle looked at me with wide-eyes and I shrugged my shoulders at him. The funniest part was that Kingslee found it necessary to taunt the other horses by rising to her back legs and whinnying loud so that all of them knew she was the better horse.

I had to laugh and with a final wave to all of the Telmarine soldiers, we were gone.

I had no clue where we were, but surprising I wasn't too worried about it. I was happy to finally be living my dream. I was out of the castle! I had dreamed of doing this my entire life! Every day I would wake up as a little girl and run around the house pretending like I was a brave adventurer and now I could really say that I was on an adventure.

Kingslee kept on going and going for a long time. I had no clue what time it was, but if I were to make a prediction we had to have been riding for a good two hours before she finally slowed down. My eyes had been begging to close for quite some time when she actually stopped.

I climbed off the saddle with stiff legs and gave Kingslee a good pat on the nose. I didn't know what was in that horse, but I didn't care. She was the whole reason I was still out of the castle and not back in my father's clutches. I would have never dreamt that the horse that I would ride for fun with my father through the woods could make ridiculously long jumps to save me from the Telmarines.

Despite all the things that didn't make sense, I ground tied her and grabbed the lantern from the saddle. I lit it up with one of the matches that Cornelius had tucked away on the inside of the lantern. I tucked the others away in my satchel on my shoulder. I noticed that there was a small stream of water a few feet from where Kingslee had parked us for the night so I went over to fill up my canteen and wash off my face.

I then had to find nice firewood for the evening. Although I doubted that I had much night left before the sun rose, it gave me an ease of mind to be able to see even more of what was around me. The search didn't take me too long and I came back to where Kingslee was with a load of firewood to get us through a couple of fires, just to be safe.

After I had piled up the wood properly and thrown some grass into the mix for starter, I grabbed another match from the pack and before my eyes was a spark. There weren't very many in the pack, so I took note that I needed to save them.

The spark grew and grew before grasping onto the wood and becoming a blazing flame. I took my satchel off my shoulder and placed it on the ground. It would be the closest thing to a pillow I would have.

Even though my eyes were drooping and I was tired, I couldn't seem to find sleep when I tried. I tried placing my head on the satchel and closing my eyes, pretending I was back at home, but the rock hard ground and crickets chirping reminded me that I wasn't. After thrashing about for awhile, I sat up to watch the fire.

Looking in to the flames left my mind room to wander and wander it did. I started remembering my first meeting with Caspian at the dinner. The image was very clear of me in my fancy dress and him in his nice dress clothes. We sat there talking about adventures and riding horses all over Narnia. Together.

"Well, here I am," I spoke aloud to myself," Riding around Narnia on a horse. Alone."

I looked over and saw Kingslee leaned up against a tree. She was probably fast asleep. For some reason, she then made me think of Penelope's first time riding a horse. It was on Kingslee that she rode her for the first time on her own. She was maybe nine years old…

_She was angry that I was already riding horses by myself and she felt that she needed to include herself into the horse riding club. So when I came in from my ride, she began pulling at my arm to get me to get off._

"_Penelope!" I scolded her as I threw my leg off of Kingslee and hopped to the ground," You might frighten Kingslee!"_

"_I don't care, Rosalie!" she returned," I just want to ride her."_

_I looked at her for a long hard moment. Normally, when she wanted to ride she would tell me before so that I could take her out with me. It angered me that she wanted to go after I had finished my ride._

"_Penelope, I just finished-" I tried, but she cut me off as I started to take off the saddle._

"_No!" she stopped my hands from unfastening the saddle," I mean, I want to ride her. Alone. Without you."_

_My eyes narrowed, was she serious?_

"_Penelope, you're too young!" I told her and tried to take the saddle off once again._

"_No!" she actually slapped my hand that time and I took offense by it._

_I folded my arms across my chest," Fine. Ride the horse, but I won't be the one nursing your wounds when you fall or she bucks you off."_

_She glared at me and I stepped out of her way as she climbed up onto the horse, like a Queen. She almost put me and every other horse rider to shame as she calmly pet Kingslee and kicked her lightly to get her to move. I stepped out of the stall and allowed her to ride out. She shook the reigns and Kingslee left the stables in a full out sprint._

_I couldn't find one thing to correct her on. She had watched us so many times that she knew exactly what to do. I watched as Kingslee galloped out of the stables with my young sister on her back and went as far as our boundaries were out to the river and then turned back around and sprinted back._

_When she arrived back at the stables, she climbed off the horse and with her head held high pranced back into the stalls. She was the little drama queen in the family. All she wanted was to ride the horse and everyone just assumed that she didn't know how to…we were wrong._

I chuckled to myself as I remembered her. She would be such a bold woman one day. She would probably scare off many of the boys who came chasing after her hand.

Would I ever see her again?

Then that image of her crying came back to my mind and I shoved my head into my hands. My own eyes were soon wet.

I then remembered once again the many sword fights that Jacob and I shared as children. We would run all throughout the house, knocking over all sorts of things. Then as we grew older, those wooden swords turned into real swords and many a time we would actually scrape each other.

My eyes were drenched and tears were flooding down my face.

"What have I done?" I cried aloud as pulled my hair out of it's pony tail," What have you gotten yourself into this time?"

I let the questions linger in the air for a couple of moments as I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Well, it seems a shame that a pretty girl such as yourself should be wasting all of those tears," a small voice in the night said.

I sniffled and looked all around, suddenly alert. Who could possibly be close? I knew I would have heard anyone approaching.

I immediately stood up and drew my dagger, "Identify yourself!" I called out, trying to hide my tears and my shaking.

"Um miss?" the voice said, confused.

I looked all around and above me, holding out my dagger, hoping that my shaking hand wasn't that apparent.

"Ahem," it cleared its throat," Down here, miss."

I felt a pull at my trousers and looked down. The one place I didn't look.

A mouse. A mouse was talking to me. This had to be a dream. My jay dropped open and I let out a screech

"You-you're-you're," I stuttered as I bent down closer to the cute little thing," A mouse?"

The furry little creature wore a ring around its ear with a red plume coming from it. The little thing even wore a sword 'round its waist. How cute! And to think I was scared of it. I tucked away my dagger.

He sighed, apparently disappointed by my reaction," Is that really all the respect you can give me?"

I chuckled," I'm sorry, it's just," I pat him on the head to make sure he was real," I've never seen anything like you."

"Watch the fur!" he cried and drew his sword on me," Now, you seem to be a nice lady, but touch me again and I will be sure you are sorry for it."

I put my hands up in defense," My apologies…" I trailed off for I did not know what to call him," Your name, little talking mouse?"

He looked at me in pure disgust.

I couldn't help myself! A talking mouse with a sword! It sounded like something out of a story book that my mother read to me.

Maybe those Narnian creatures were closer than I thought…or I was just dreaming this entire thing. I _was_ very tired and lacking a good meal.

He rolled his eyes and tucked away his sword," You may call me Reepicheep, but no more of this "little talking mouse" nonsense. If you were not a woman, then I would have already shredded you to pieces."

"You must forgive me, Reepicheep, I will give you the respect you deserve from here on out," I ensured him, just to humor him.

Inside, I was rolling with laughter.

He gave me a nod and then continued to tell me more," I believe that I can allow it this one time, but if it happens again then our blades shall clash."

The picture of me dueling a mouse made me chuckle.

"Are you disrespecting me once again? Let me warn you that I am of very powerful and royal ancestry! My descendants were the ones who gnawed the rope off of the mighty Aslan's ropes that bound him to that dreadful stone table by the cruel White Witch. Do you dare insult me?" he challenged me.

"Wait, what did you say Reepicheep?" I asked, shocked at what he just told me.

He was very annoyed with me, I could tell," Must I repeat myself? My ancestors gnawed the rope off of the great Aslan's paws to allow him to be the true ruler of Narnia once more! Now, I will not repeat myself any more!"

"Aslan?" I asked in disbelief.

"Did I stutter?" he asked me," You must be Telmarine."

"Yes, I am, but-"

" I know this because you Telmarines have such a _lack_ of imagination! You've stayed locked up in those walls for so long that you see anything out of what you consider normal then you go ballistic!" he explained to me as he took a seat in front of the fire and began warming his hands.

I pointed a finger at him" Excuse me, but I did not go ballistic!" I defended.

He laughed" You should have seen your face when you saw my lips move!" he went into a fit of laughter.

He left me flabbergasted. I didn't know how to respond to him so I took a seat beside him," So, maybe I was _shocked_, but I did not go _ballistic_," I tried to defend my case once more.

Reepicheep only laughed again," Miss, I do not wish to argue with you over your reaction. Think what you will, but I know what I saw," he paused," On a different note, I haven't the slightest what I am to call _you_."

I kept my eyes on the fire and answered," My name is Rosalie."

"Ahh, what a lovely name," he told me," Now, excuse my eavesdropping from earlier, but it sounds as though you are far from home, Rosalie. Why did you leave?"

I didn't answer for a moment. Why did he express interest in me? Why couldn't he have just gone on his merry little way and let me sulk in peace.

" Let's leave it at family problems," I mumbled, not wanting to verbalize everything that had happened.

He scoffed at me," There's got to be more of a _story_ to it than that!"

I rolled my eyes. It was nice to have company, I had to admit, but this little guy was being a real pest. I had to lose him somehow, but then again maybe he could be my way to finding Caspian. Somehow. He was my first signal of the Old Narnians being real.

"Fine," I grumbled and the mouse squeaked with joy," But, I 'm giving you the shortened version because I am too tired to tell the extended version. I'm on a mission to find my dear friend Prince Caspian. He is the rightful heir to Telmar, but the Lords, one of them being my father, are not going to give it over without a fight.

"When the King's brother, Miraz, who is also a Lord, had a son, they decided it would be necessary to dispose of Prince Caspian because they did not want him ruling. Lucky for him, his caretaker knew of the birth of the new heir and that he might have to leave so he gathered supplies for him."

"Caspian fled that night with the guards running after him and I watched my best friend disappear in the woods. I was mad at my father so I decided that I would come out here to find Caspian, who is on a journey to find the Old Narnians, gain their support, and overthrow Miraz."

The mouse's jaw dropped after I had explained all of this as quickly as possible.

"How heart wrenching!" the mouse cried as he rolled over again, apparently touched by my story," A rebellious daughter runs off into the night to save her true love-"

Before he could go any father, I cut him off. He got one false message out of my story and I wanted to make sure it was cleared up.

"Let's get one thing straight, Reepicheep," I began, pointing a finger at him once more," Prince Caspian is _not_ my true love. You can dispose of that idea right away."

He rolled on the ground laughing for several moments and I was almost tempted to crush the little mouse with my bare hands. As he sat up, he wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes," Oh my," he was interrupted by another fit of laughter," You are a funny creature, Rosalie."

I was very irritated with the mouse," What are you laughing at?" I barked.

He wiped his tears away once more before finally settling down," If you say that he is not your true love, then I guess he is not, but I am free to think whatever I like, miss."

I shook my head, realizing that I would never be able to get the little mouse to see it through my eyes.

"I have enjoyed your company very much, Reepicheep, but I must try to get some more rest. I have a big journey ahead of me and I must get some shut eye," I told him as I laid my head back down on my satchel and turned on my side.

Perhaps, that would be the end of my encounter with the mouse. At that point, I could have cared less if he could have helped me, I would have rather just gone out on my own from there.

The little mouse jumped up," Miss, please before you go to sleep," he started and scurried in front of my face," Would you mind if I stayed here with you to act as a guard? I would never be able to let myself go on in life knowing that I left a poor, innocent girl alone in the woods. Even if you are a…_Telmarine_," he spat out the last word as if it were a poison.

I shut my eyes and contemplated. He was too cute when he begged and I couldn't stand to look at him begging like that. After letting out a groan, I finally nodded my head, silently. He gave me a very cordial bow," Thank you,miss! You will not regret it for I will be the best protector you have seen!"

I could not believe that I had just allowed this little talking mouse to be my "protector".

* * *

My sleep was shorter than I would have liked. It felt as though I shut my eyes and opened them five minutes later. I knew this was not true though because I was awakened when the sun had risen in the sky and Reepicheep was jumping up and down on my side.

"Rosalie! Miss Rosalie! You must get up!" he was yapping as I drowsily opened my eyes. I had a horrible crick in my neck and my back was rather sore from sleeping on such hard grounds. I found out quickly that I took my four poster bed back home for granted.

"What?" I groggily asked when I rubbed my eyes and sat up," Reepicheep, get off!"

He scampered off my side and took hold of my hand, pulling me up from the ground. For such a little guy, he had ridiculously large amount of strength. I almost stumbled over for I was still partially asleep. I grabbed my satchel from the ground and forced myself awake, even as much as I detested morning.

"Rosalie, mount your steed!" he ordered me to do after dragging me over to Kingslee who was neighing out of control.

I quickly climbed on the saddle and Reepicheep grabbed the canteen off my saddle and dumped the water all over the lingering embers.

"Those disgusting creatures! How dare they come here!" he was mumbling to himself.

Tired of the hustling, I finally demanded," Reepicheep, what's going on? Tell me now. Who?"

He crawled up on the horse and kicked Kingslee to go," Ya!" he called.

"Reepicheep!" I demanded once more, holding on as Kingslee sprinted off.

"It's the Telmarines! They must have found a way to get a troop over the river!" he explained hastily.

"But that's impossi-" I cut myself off because after we crossed over the ridge I saw a troop of Telmarine guards marching forward, their backs to us.

"How did they-?" I was cut off by Reepicheep this time.

"They came through this morning and using this brilliant horse of yours along with my quick, thinking I was able to distract them away from you in your deep slumber," he rattled off to me as Kingslee slowed down," Now, let me handle the rest."

I wanted to ask him more, but before I could he was scurrying off the horse and flying through the tall grass in the woods.

Something far up ahead must have attracted the troops, for they began sprinting away from us. Curious to know what was going on, I gently tapped Kingslee to move forward. She did obediently, for once, and I saw that they were chasing _someone_. They began firing off arrows at this someone, but I could not identify who it was. My mind teased me that maybe, just maybe, it would be Caspian, but I tried not to get my hopes up.

This person was going to be killed soon if someone didn't do _something_. Reepicheep was no where to be seen so I tried to push Kingslee to sprint forward. I had never killed a man before, but I could at least injure them to where this person, whoever it was, could get away safely.

The one time I needed Kingslee to go, she stayed put.

"C'mon! The one time I want you to go you feel like taking a break? C'mon girl!" I pleaded with her, but she didn't move an inch.

I decided to throw my leg over to get off and go on foot since my stubborn horse was no cooperating, but as soon as I did she sped up and began galloping.

"Kingslee!" I screamed, throwing my foot back over.

I looked up ahead and saw the grass moving. The person up ahead, running from the Telmarines, seemed to stop for a moment to turn around and pick up some animal. Kingslee actually sped up a little bit so I could scrutinize the person further.

I couldn't tell anything because he turned around too quickly, but to my surprise the Telmarines began dropping left and right in the moving grass. We kept our distance far enough behind that they couldn't hear us, but I wanted so badly to see if it really was Caspian who was running away.

The soldiers continued to fall left and right. It left me feeling awestruck at first, but I then remembered that it could be only one thing doing this to them: Reepicheep.

I laughed that it took me so long to figure it out and then after the last guard dropped, Kingslee raced forward to catch up with the little mouse. I thought that he would stop after the last soldier and come back, but to my surprise the mouse was tackling the runaway.

"Choose your last words carefully, Telmarine!" the proud little mouse called and as we came racing through the woods.

"Reepicheep! Stop!" I yelled as we came closer.

When we arrived, I saw Reepicheep standing on Prince Caspian's chest waving his sword in his face.

"You are a mouse," I heard Caspian say, baffled at the tiny mouse about to strike him.

Kingslee came to a stop and I climbed off, " Reepicheep!"

Reepicheep obviously was not listening, as he was about to swipe off Caspian's face, so I drew my own sword on him and pointed it at him," This is Prince Caspian, the one whom I told you about."

The mouse's face looked much more relieved when he meet my eyes and put his sword away," No need for _that,_" he told me, nodding at my sword.

"Rosalie?" Caspian asked, still in shock," Is it really you?"

I offered him my hand to help him up and embraced him tight," Of course, it is! Who else would run all the way out here just to find _you_?"

"It is you!" he replied with a chuckle in his voice.

"Are you okay? Are you injured? Why did you blow the horn? Do you realize how scared I was?" the questions came blurting out of my mouth so quickly I hardly even knew what I was saying.

"Shh, I'm fine now," he assured me as we broke our embrace," I'll tell you more later."

I could have sworn I heard Reepicheep mumble," True love."

I wanted to hit him, but I refrained myself.

"Reepicheep!" one of the other animals, that had been with Caspian, called.

When I looked over to the source of the voice, it was a badger. I thought that a talking mouse was ridiculous, but a talking badger as well? Preposterous. It looked to me that there was also a dwarf with the badger. I could not be for certain because the only other place I had seen such creatures were in my mother's story book.

"You found them? The Old Narnians?" I asked Caspian quietly as the other two began speaking with Reepicheep.

He looked at me and nodded his head," I believe so."

"Reepicheep, it was he who blew the horn!" the badger yelled at him and Reepicheep's face wore a look of surprise.

The dwarf piped in," But who is _she_?" he asked nastily, nodding at me.

"This is Lady Rosalie, a companion of the dear Prince," Reepicheep informed them and I gave the two a little bow.

Up over the ridge, I heard the sound of hooves and it was as though the pages of my mother's story book were coming to life. A group of centaurs walked forward and I gasped at the sight of them.

"They..they are real," I mumbled to myself as the leader of them stepped forward.

They were men on top, strong looking men at that, but on their bottom half they were horses. It was a sight that I could only dream of until that moment.

"If it was he that blew the horn, then let him bring it forward," one of the centaurs spoke in a very deep, slow voice," That is the reason we meet."

Meet… about what? Were there more Old Narnians? I looked at Caspian for some sort of answer.

"Come along, Rosalie," he told me softly as we all began to follow the centaurs to this meeting of some sort.

**A/N: Reepicheep is quite possibly my favorite character so I had to include him in there somehow…hehe. Hope you guys enjoyed! The next chapter is when the Pevensies will come along, so keep reading! Things are about to get interesting :)**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed or added this story to their alerts! I appreciate it greatly!  
**


	6. Where the Storybook Meets Reality

**Author's Note: As you know…everything belongs to C.S. Lewis :)**

Chapter Six: Where the Storybook Meets Reality

"Where are we going?" I whispered in Caspian's ear as we followed the group of centaur through the woods. I was pulling Kingslee along behind us.

"I think they," he motioned to the dwarf and badger he had come with to clarify," have the Old Narnians gathered so I can speak to them. This is where I have to convince them to join me," he whispered back and I noticed up in the distance a large gathering of even more creatures," Did Cornelius tell you everything?"

I flashed a smile at him and nodded my head," You could say that."

He laughed and then answered," Well, good, that leaves less explaining for me."

I rolled my eyes as we continued down the ragged forest path to where the creatures were gathered. I would like to say that it seemed to be a happy meeting, but the creatures were all outraged. They looked to be a savage lot of beings. We continued walking until we were almost in the middle of the circle that they had formed and their yells If they were mad before, they were infuriated now at the sight of Caspian.

I ground tied Kingslee away from the crowd before walking into the mass of creatures, close to the center. I felt fur brush by my foot and looked down.

"You might want to stand back, miss," Reepicheep told me as Caspian walked to the center of the crowd.

I nodded and stood back by the talking badger. He patted a large rock beside him and invited me to take a seat.

"I don't think we have formally met," he told me, his voice very soft and wise," I am Trufflehunter."

He stuck out his paw and I shook it," Nice to meet you. I am Rosalie."

He smiled at me and before he could say another word the crowd of ravenous animals was in an uproar, screaming all sorts of threats.

"Kill him!"

"He's a thief!"

"He's a monster!"

"Why should we listen to him?"

All of these things were being shouted at once and then the dwarf that had traveled with Trufflehunter(who told me the dwarf's name was Nikabrik) and Caspian when Reepicheep and I met up with him.

"Let's add yet one more thing to the list of things the Telmarines have stolen from us!" he said boldly as he stepped forward," Go on, tell them some of the things they've taken!"

He didn't just say _him_, he said _them_. Was he including me in this as well?

"I have taken nothing!" Caspian hissed at the dwarf," The horn was given to me."

So that was what they were angered by…the horn. I guess it would have been considered property of the Narnians.

The crowd replied to Caspian with:

"Our home!"

"Our freedom!"

They once again went into an uproar.

Caspian looked horrified as he was being charged by all of the mythical beings, but after listening to all of them he looked at each of them with pleading eyes. I wished that I could have done something, but I knew that the last thing we needed was my mouth running. As painful as it was, I sat by and watched the violent scene.

"Would you really hold me accountable for the sins of our ancestors?" he challenged them.

"Accountable and punishable!" the dwarf spat back; he really didn't mess around with this business, I noted.

Reepicheep then decided to come into the mix, drawing his sword he fought for Caspian," How ironic! Were your people not the ones who fought alongside the _White Witch_?" he fought back.

The dwarf smiled and pushed away Reepicheep's blade," I'd do it again to get rid of these barbarians!"

His gaze went from Caspian to mine. Trufflehunter got up to say a few words as well," Us badgers remember things quite well. You all may have forgotten, but is it not true that Narnia has never been right unless it was ruled by a Son of Adam?"

"But he's a _Telmarine,_" he spat right back," Why would we even consider having him as King?"

"I can help you!" Caspian finally spoke up," Listen to me, I am a Prince beyond these woods! The throne is rightfully mine! If you trust me, I can bring peace among you all and we can live in harmony with one another!"

When he spoke they were silent. They listened…for once.

One of the centaurs stepped forward and spoke of his star gazing. The stars had told him this was going to happen and he encouraged all of the creatures to trust Caspian. He, for one, believed that peace was possible. I liked listening to that centaur speak for his voice was very deep and soothing. It still amazed me when every one of these creatures opened their mouth.

A squirrel above my head began jumping about," Can we really bring peace? Really?"

"The Telmarines do not believe that you all exist! Just two days ago, I didn't even know that you were anything more than storybook characters that my nanny and professor would read to me before bed every night.

" Look at you! Your numbers are plentiful, something that none of us Telmarines would be expecting! They neglect to believe that you even exist! Together, we can defeat them!" he told them all and I saw something that I had never seen before in Caspian.

Bravery. Not only bravery, but boldness as well. If I were a Narnian, seeing someone with such an excitement to fight would have caused me to trust him.

"If you will lead us, then my sons and I will follow!" the centaur announced, drawing his sword and many others followed his lead.

Before long the whole crowd was not jeering, but cheering on their new leader.

* * *

The same centaur who had devoted his pack to serving us soon informed us of a place where we could easily house all of the supplies and soldiers. He claimed that there was a place called Aslan's How that he could lead us to if we would trust him. Caspian, Narnia still being rather foreign to him, asked my opinion of it. I knew no more than he did, but I reminded him that this centaur was a native of the land.

We found it would be best to follow the centaur to Aslan's How, since there was no other shelter we could thought of to house such a large number of people and weapons.

It took a little over a day and a half to reach Aslan's How, but when we arrived, it was not a disappointment. It was like many underground tunnels were woven into one large burrow and we thanked the centaur greatly for leading us here. It didn't take long for everyone to become settled in to the large, spacious accommodations.

The first night of our arrival there, Caspian, Reepicheep, and I did some exploring through one of the tunnels with markings of children walking passed a lamp post. There were more markings of them and there appeared to be four children; we concluded that these were the Pevensie children, the Old Kings and Queens of Narnia.

As we traveled deeper into the tunnel, with torches lit we came across what appeared to be the Stone Table. The table was cracked right down the middle from where Aslan had come back to life from the clutches of the sinister White Witch. I couldn't help but be amazed by the sight of this broken table. Those stories of Aslan…perhaps they were true after all.

In order to survive, Caspian plotted an attack on enemy grounds in order to obtain supplies, for we had none. He sent out a scout team to see where the closest camp of Telmarine soldiers was and they came back several hours later with news of them down by the river. Perhaps a group of thirty of them.

Desperate for supplies, Caspian led a group of men out to steal from them and gain all the weapons, food, and other things we could possibly need. I longed to go with him, but Caspian told me that in order to protect me from having to possibly face my father; I needed to stay and watch the How with the female centaurs. I sulked, but had to listen for I knew he was right. I couldn't handle a meeting with my father that soon.

Eventually, Caspian and I finally found time to talk about everything that had happened while we were out scouting around with a squad of minotaur and centaurs. It was early in the morning and we had stepped away from the group for a moment.

"What made you decide to leave?" he asked me as we walked behind all the rest of the soldiers.

"Well-"

Finding time to talk was apparently too good to be true.

I was cut off by the sound of a twig snapping to the right of the path. I shot Caspian a glance, concerned, and he placed a finger over his lips. I watched his hand slide down to his sword and he quietly drew it. He looked around the large tree that stood between us and the source of the noise.

Immediately, I watched him fly into battle and let out a cry. I heard the sound of swords clashing. Alarmed, I ran around to see what was going on. A boy, about the same age as Caspian and I, was clashing swords with Caspian. He had light brown hair and blue eyes from what I could tell.

I watched intensely. Both of them were equally matched for each other and all the while my mind was racing to figure out just who this stranger was. They went back and forth for quite some time, but soon the stranger knocked Caspian's sword right out of his hand. I saw Caspian fall backwards and slowly drew my own sword out.

As Caspian raced back to retrieve his sword, the stranger darted right after him. Surely, he would not attack an unarmed opponent. Was he trying to kill Caspian?

Not wanting to chance it, I drew my sword and right as the stranger's blade almost met Caspian's skin; it met my blade.

"You can stop right there," I warned the stranger, meeting his eyes.

He kept his blade locked at mine before picking it up, allowing me to get into position. A smile crept onto his face and I shook my head in disbelief. Arrogance was being emitted from him-who did he think he was? Just because I was a girl did not mean that I was weak. He held his sword dull as I swung towards him; he wasn't even trying.

"Come now, is your pride too large for you to consider fighting me, boy?" I taunted him as I circled with my blade pressed toward him.

He kept his blade pointed toward me, a little higher and stronger this time," I find it hardly appropriate that you call me _boy_, when _I_ am much older than you, young lady."

He took a hard jab at me with his sword and I defended myself.

"_Young lady_?" I asked, appalled," I am _not_ a young lady!"

He actually chuckled when I swung and met his sword. He exchanged many attacks back and forth before Caspian appeared again. Just when he had arrived we found ourselves at a clash, both of us struggling to break away from the collision.

"Rosalie," Caspian said from behind me," Careful."

"I've got it covered, Caspian," I assured him as I struggled; he was overpowering me.

Smiling the stranger boy met my eyes with his blue eyes," How are you holding up there, _Rosalie_?"

I sneered at him.

Sweat was dripping from my forehead and my wrists were screaming in pain. They couldn't handle all the pressure being put on them. Frankly, my whole body couldn't stand it. He was much stronger than I was and soon I saw my blade slipping out of my grasp. He brought down his sword to force mine out of my hand and as he did, his blade sliced the skin on my forearm.

I let out a loud yelp before I fell down to my knees. He kept his sword right at my eyelevel. I noticed the writing on his sword and gasped. The main words I could pull out of it were:

_High King of Narnia_

"No, don't!" a small voice from behind us yelled," Please, don't hurt her!"

My eyes shot up to see a little girl with auburn hair on the top of the ridge. Her face wore a look of unadulterated shock. Soon, behind her ran up an older girl with long, dark hair along with a boy who appeared to be just a little older than the youngest who seemed to have an interest in saving me.

"Peter!" the older girl yelled as well.

I turned my head to Caspian. He still had a look of confusion on his face.

Peter put his sword away," You didn't actually think I would do anything to her?"

"You gave us a scare," the older girl replied as she walked down the ridge with the other boy and young girl.

Peter smirked and offered me a hand to help me up, but I shrugged it off and picked my sword up off the ground. As I stood up he motioned to where he had injured me," My apologies."

I narrowed my eyes at him and held my hand over the injury. It still stung. Bad. I was just in too much shock to actually notice it.

"Caspian," I whispered to him as I stood up beside him," His sword says that he is the High King of Narnia."

"What?" he asked me, clearly astonished, but before our conversation could go any farther…

"You are Prince Caspian?" Peter asked, a harsh tone to his voice.

Was it possible High King Peter was that young? The stories mother told us about him had to have been over one thousand years old.

"Yes," Caspian replied," And you?"

"High King Peter and I believe that you called us," he informed us as he took a step closer to Caspian. The way he announced his title made me want to be sick.

"How is this possible?" I asked, bewildered," You-you are thousands of years old? And yet, you are not."

"That doesn't matter," Peter assured me," All that does matter is that we are here to help. Unless, you don't want us here."

"No! You will be of much help to the war effort," Caspian said quickly.

" You're free to go." I said at just the same time. I wasn't the biggest fan of High King Peter. Even if he was the "High King"; I never was a big fan. He was always rude and stuck on himself in all the stories.

Peter shot me a nasty look as well as Caspian. Wasn't it better that I be honest to them?

"Despite what my companion says," Caspian told Peter, still giving me a harsh glance," We welcome you with open arms."

"Good to hear," Peter said to Caspian, though his voice didn't sound very enthusiastic.

I rolled my eyes as the rest of the troops, if that's what you wanted to call the mythical creatures, came along to surround us. I noticed Reepicheep coming along through the grass.

He climbed up onto a rock and gave a little bow," We have _anxiously_ been awaiting your arrival. Each and every one of our hearts are at your service."

Peter smiled at the little mouse. A genuine smile. The first time I couldn't detect any sarcasm in it. What a relief, he wasn't a total joy kill.

"Good to hear!" The King told the mouse.

The girls, who I assumed to be Queen Susan and Queen Lucy, were laughing at the mouse. It reminded me of my first reaction to the mouse as well and for the first time since they had arrived; I let a smile appear on my face as Reepicheep drew his sword on them.

"Who dares insult me?" he called out pointing his sword around.

"Sorry," the younger, Queen Lucy, admitted meekly.

He let out a sigh of relief and put his blade away," Oh, excuse me your majesty. Although, I do believe there are more appropriate words to describe me. Brave…courageous…audacious," he rambled off.

"Don't let him fool you," I said, laughing as the little guy scampered off to talk with Peter and Caspian.

"Hey! I heard that!" The mouse protested from up ahead.

"I'm only joking Reepicheep," I assured him, but he was already jabbering away with the High King.

I turned my glance over to Queen Susan, Queen Lucy, and King Edmund. Looking at them was so unreal, they were story book characters…not real humans. At least, that's what I had told myself for my whole life. Until that moment.

Queen Lucy was just as I had pictured her with her auburn hair and bright blue eyes. She looked very joyous and the title of "valiant" seemed fitting so far. She had stood up for her to her older brother about saving me.

King Edmund had thick dark hair and was almost as tall as I was. He had dark eyes, but there was something about him that wasn't so dark. I knew of his mistakes just like the stories proclaimed, but he looked to be nice enough. I assumed that I would learn more of him later.

Then there was Queen Susan. She was always my _favorite_ character. I never really knew why I favored her so much, but I think it was because she was the oldest and got much more action than Lucy did in the battles. I was always up for acting out a battle in a war when I was younger. The stories always made her out to be very serious and too logical, but I saw passed that.

She had beautiful dark hair and porcelain skin. Her eyes were a bright blue, just like her older brother's and younger sister's. She was gorgeous and I couldn't help but feel a tiny amount of jealousy standing next to her.

I thought that it was probably rather uncomfortable having me stare at them for such an extended moment, but I shook my head out of my gaze and finally spoke as we began walking along," Please, excuse me. It is just that this is all very hard for me to grasp. Just days ago, you all were just story book characters to me."

Queen Susan was the first to respond and chuckled," That is quite alright. I don't think it bothers us at all."

**A/N: So, originally, I had Chapter Seven and Chapter Six as one chapter, but after I got done typing it I realized it was like 16 Word pages long so I needed to break it up which means two chapters for you all! **


	7. The Proud King

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing.**

Chapter Seven: The Proud King

"I don't believe that I have properly introduced myself," I started, looking at them," My name is Rosalie Sopespian and it is an honor, my majesties."

"Well, you seem to already know us, but just for to be proper, I am Queen Susan and these are my siblings, Queen Lucy and King Edmund" she introduced herself, sister, as well as her brother," It is a pleasure to meet you, Rosalie."

We continued walking and talking for quite some time. The whole conversation was like a dream at first, but I soon grew very fond of the three of them. Especially Lucy. She reminded me of Penelope for some reason that I couldn't seem to place my finger on. Perhaps, it was her boldness or those big blue eyes.

We discussed various things and mostly they were recounting stories I had heard before only now in their own words. Their own personal experiences. It was so different to hear things through their point of view.

We led the Pevensies back to Aslan's How and what an experience it was watching them see it all for the first time! As we entered the How, they walked in side by side as the centaurs lined up outside, raising their swords to the Kings and Queens. They entered into a loud weaponry where the centaurs were busy making new swords and shields with the supplies we had taken from the Telmarines. Their faces were looks of pure shock because Caspian informed me that the last time they had been to this place it probably was not burrowed under.

Caspian explained as we walked along what certain places were making in the weaponry and how many they had already made. Queen Susan had stepped away at some point and made her own journey up to the tunnel that lead to the stone table. She eventually called us over and we all went over to listen to what she had to tell us.

"Look at these!" she exclaimed, pointing to the markings on the walls," Do you suppose they are us?"

Her siblings took a look at the walls and agreed with that theory. Caspian and I put in our comments that we thought it to be them as well and then dear Lucy asked a question," Just, what exactly is this place?"

"Allow us to show you," I smiled down at her as both Caspian and I grabbed a torch off the side of the dark walls.

We continued walking down the hallway until we reached the pitch black room where the Stone Table lie. Caspian and I stepped over to opposite sides to light the oil that needed to be set ablaze before anyone could see a thing. The flames traveled all the way around the room until they met in the middle and provided light for us all to see.

The four siblings were amazed by what they saw. Just as I was the day before.

They slowly approached the table, but all of their eyes were set on the grand lion, Aslan staring at them from the portrait on the wall. After a few moments of watching, Lucy finally piped in," He's watching us. He has to be."

Peter nodded his head in agreement," Now, it's up to us."

"I believe," I began as I placed the torch into a holder on the wall," That we will have plenty of time to discuss all of this tomorrow morning, bright and early."

* * *

After we had shown the Pevensies the tomb, they insisted on staying there for a few more moments. Caspian and I found it would be best to give them all some privacy so we retrieved our horses from where they were tied up deeper in the tunnels and rode them out to give them some much needed action and fresh air.

"This is still so unreal to me," I began as Kingslee pranced towards the, almost dark, forest. Caspian had lit a lantern to carry along with us.

"I agree," he told me," They were only storybook characters days ago. Your mother did always tell us that they were real, but I never really took her seriously."

I nodded my head in agreement," I know. I just like to think about what Penelope and Jacob would think if they saw this," I smiled at the thought of them," Jacob would love to see some adventure for himself as would Penelope."

I looked over at Caspian; he had a serious look on his face," Do you miss them?"

I broke my gaze at him and shifted it up to the stars that were poking out all through the sky," More than anything."

Whenever I left, a whole in my heart formed for my siblings and my mother. I missed them so much and would do anything to have them there with me, but I knew that they could never leave father. Mother may have been able to speak about forbidden topics behind father's back, but she lacked the audacity to step up and speak for herself. She was too soft-spoken and had too much of a tender heart.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, barely audible," You should not have come after me. I should have forewarned you and-"

I shook my head, knowing I had to do what I did. If I hadn't of come after him, then I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. Plus, I had seen more action in the last couple days than I had my entire life.

"No, don't apologize," I assured him, placing a hand on his arm," It was my choice. If I hadn't done this then I would be miserable back home, bored out of my mind. I just wish that my family were here to experience all of this."

He still looked saddened when he met my eyes," We can always try to bring them here."

I shook my head again. I did not want to know the plan he had in his mind for trying to smuggle my family here for I knew it would be dangerous," No, they would never come."

"Why not?" he asked me, confused as our horses tromped on toward the stream down the way.

"Because they are too loyal to my father, Caspian. They may be able to tell all of these stories when he is not around, but that is because they love those stories. They would never be able to actually leave him," I explained to Caspian and he seemed to understand.

There were a few moments of silence, but I did not mind it. The forest was rather peaceful at night time when I wasn't running away from a troop of Telmarine guards. I had never appreciated it the first night because I was too stuck on running away and how cold the ground was. There were crickets playing their songs and Owls hooting.

"You never told me how you managed to escape," Caspian said, interrupting my admiration," Now, I do not believe we are going to be interrupted by any other High Kings of Narnia."

I had to chuckle at the thought of my running away again. It was ridiculous really.

"I packed a pack of supplies the day after you left, doing as Cornelius had instructed me to do. I stole some bread from the cupboard and water. I packed some spare clothing and tried to be as stealthy as I could about the whole ordeal. I treated just like I would any other day, but after my family had gone to sleep I snuck out of our quarters. It was rather easy since the entrance to the main castle is right down the hall.

After I managed to both physically and mentally leave my family behind, I snuck down the main hallway of the castle with all of my supplies and ran into a couple of guards. One of them was rather small and I ended up knocking him out with a candlestick," Caspian laughed at this," What?" I asked him.

He was really laughing now," Protection at it's finest. I just can't believe- Please, excuse me, continue."

I ignored his chuckling and continued on," After he was out of the way, the other one was far enough down the hall that I thought he might not have heard anything, but I think he might have because after I entered the stables to retrieve Kingslee; a whole troop came storming in after me."

"I met up with Cornelius there and he instructed me to trust Kingslee here," I patted the horse," And she practically led me to you, but as I left I saw Penelope standing at our balcony crying for me. I met Reepicheep along the way and the rest is history I figure."

"Penelope was crying?" he asked me as we began to turn our horses back around, we didn't want anyone worrying," And how did you lose the soldiers?"

I nodded my head," She loves me, even if she is dramatic sometimes. Crying thirteen year olds can still be a very convincing reason to drop a whole runaway scheme. I almost stopped there to go back to her, but Kingslee here was _not_ stopping after all that. She seems to have some mind of her own. She jumped one of the ravines that I thought was impossible to jump."

He raised his eyebrow for a moment, but then dropped it," After all we have now seen, this does not surprise me."

I laughed at this and then there were a few moments of silence again.

"I couldn't help but notice you aren't a big fan of the High King," he said to me, breaking the silence once more.

I began to grit my teeth," Not particularly. I can't imagine you do either though."

"Not at all," he admitted," He's too proud. Much too proud."

"My thoughts exactly."

"You gave him a good fight though. He was definitely sweating," Caspian told me as our horses came into the clearing again. I saw him looking at my wrist and I then remembered that I had never cleaned it," You need to tend to that! You have not left it open all day have you?"

I looked down, but only briefly because the wound looked nasty. I imagined it was infected by now. How had I been so stupid to not tend to it? I must have gotten my mind around it because it was now a gaping, open wound on my wrist.

"He got a good chunk out of me," I told him, looking at the disgusting wound," It's fine, I will try to take care of it as soon as we get back."

"That's a good way to ensure yourself a disease by not taking proper-"

I cut him off because, quite frankly, I didn't want to hear his lecture," Caspian, thank you for your concern, but I'm fine. I know, I made a mistake and I will fix it."

He closed his mouth, looking somewhat hurt, but soon as we reached the clearing he challenged me," Let's see how fast Kingslee can run."

"To the How? She could do it in her sleep," I scoffed and without a count he took off, full speed, on his horse," Not fair!" I called out, but he merely smirked back at me.

"Ya!" I kicked Kingslee and she went into high speed, just as she had when we were running from the Telmarines. He had gotten a good head start before Kingslee even came close. She may have been fast, but in order for her to catch him, she would have had to fly and I was determined that she only did that when _she _wanted to when she wanted to. And she was not in the mood.

He beat me and didn't let me live it down either. He teased me all the way through the tunnels as we went to tie the horses back up. I tried to argue that he had gotten a head start, but he wasn't listening. All he cared about was a win for him and I guaranteed him that we would beat him in a fair race.

"Oh, I will win next time, Caspian," I assured him, laughing as we entered the room of the Stone Table.

"I am no gambler, but I could place money on the fact that you will _never_ defeat me in a horse race," he returned, smiling.

And then the oddest thing happened.

His smile disappeared and his eyes seemed to widen just a bit. He had clearly checked out of our conversation and his mind was drifting elsewhere. I tried to snap my fingers to get his attention, even call his name, but he was out of it. I followed his eyes and saw that he was staring at the Queen. Queen Susan.

"Caspian!" I tried one last time.

He swallowed hard and then looked at me," Yes, sorry?"

But before I could answer that he swallowed hard again and then said," Excuse me, Rosalie. I must tend to something."

His eyes went back to their gazing.

He should have said _someone_ rather than _something. _For I watched him as he approached the Queen and begin talking with her. She was ecstatic to see him apparently and began speaking with much enthusiasm to him, more enthusiasm than I had seen in her all day. She was the gentle one after all, didn't that make her more soft spoken? How did she even know him? She didn't.

I tried not to think too hard on it and realized that I really did need to tend to my wound before it turned into some serious. I actually wouldn't have been surprised if it already was serious. I didn't want to barge in on Caspian and the Queen's conversation any longer so I turned and left the room.

I traveled through the How to one of the centaurs whom I had been told kept the medicine and she allowed me to look through her supplies. I grabbed a salve she claimed would work and some bandages before finding an empty room where I could tend to it in peace.

Being alone was apparently something that was hard to come across because as soon as I lifted my sleeve to tend the wound, someone entered. The very _least_ person I wanted to see.

High King Peter.

I looked at him and then back down at my wound," What do you want?" I demanded.

"You just do not like me do you?" he said, smirking as he came to sit beside me on the ground," How do I offend you?"

Just the sound of his voice made my blood curdle. I didn't make eye contact as I opened the salve," You really want to know, King?"

He nodded his head, giving me a look that said "Enlighten me". Was he really that oblivious to his arrogance?

"Well," I began as I placed the lid to the salve on the ground and looked right at him," I think you are the most self-absorbed, conceited, arrogant person I have met in my entire life who doesn't care about anyone except for himself. The second reason I don't care for you is because you sliced me and I don't consider being sliced the best way to enter into a friendship."

He tilted his head at me, obviously trying to figure me out. So, perhaps, the first part was a little overdramatic and far fetched, but once I started on him the other words just came spilling from my mouth. I probably could have stopped at self-absorbed.

I stuck my finger into the cool salve, but he stopped my finger from placing it on my wound," You're joking I hope."

"About what I said? Absolutely not."

"No," he shook his head, slightly annoyed," About putting that directly onto the wound. You realize you must cleanse it with water first?"

Of course I knew that! I just hadn't thought of it.

But he wasn't going to react to my disrespect to him?

"Yes, I do," I replied, scraping the salve off on the inside of the container.

He raised an eyebrow," Oh really? Then where do you have the water hidden? Because from the looks of it you were about to put that directly onto the wound," he told me.

I hated being wrong and especially if it was _him_ telling me I was.

He smiled at me, stood up and exited the room for a moment. He returned with a canteen of water and returned to his seat beside me. He met my eyes for a moment and grabbed my wrist.

His touch was gentle and I felt my body allowing him to take my wrist, although I was reluctant at first.

"Please," he told me," at least let me fix what I did."

As much as it pained me, I relaxed as he dabbed the water onto the wound. I never realized that water stung so much. That's because it wasn't suppose to be sting, but when someone, such as I, neglected an open wound for too long, like I did, then water stung like no tomorrow.

I squirmed as he kept my wrist still. I even let out a whimper as he wiped it off with a rag he had retrieved.

"Try to be still," he commanded, but his voice was softer," It's infected so almost anything will hurt it."

That was lovely to know. Although I had somewhat guessed it.

He continued cleansing it and I eased myself. He then opened the jar of salve and silently worked the cool, wonderful potion onto the wound. It felt brilliant on contact, but I wouldn't let him know that. I was suppose to hate him, but the more he was around me the more I liked him. On the inside at least. I wasn't actually going to let him know that.

After he was finished wrapping the wound, I looked at him again," Thank you," I said quietly.

He smiled," It was nothing."

He stood up and offered me his hand. I hesitated for a moment, but then allowed him to pull me up. I found myself face to face with the King and noticed that he had the most striking eyes I had ever seen…even more than Susan. I had to look away before I got lost in them so I whipped my head away as I began to walk away.

"You know," he started and I stopped to listen," You say that I'm arrogant, Miss Rosalie, but I think that you struggle with the same pride."

I turned on my heel and looked at him, a hard glare," How so your majesty?" I spat back.

I was regretting ever thinking nice thoughts about him.

"Oh, just the look in your eyes when I tried to help you. You fought it and I could tell by your reluctance to me at first, but eventually you realized that there was no way you could help yourself so you had to let someone else help you even if that person was me. Someone you couldn't like because we are so similar," he told me and the liking I had for him that briefly appeared had disappeared.

I took a step closer to him," You make bold accusations."

"With all due respect, Rosalie," he told me," There is a saying that says the truth can sting."

I shook my head in disgust at him as I continued to get closer until I was once again face to face with the King. He smirked as I got closer, but his smile soon disappeared as I slapped him hard across the face.

**Author's Note: Let me know how I'm doing with OOC and that stuff, thanks a lot guys! Hope you're liking it :)**


	8. A Warm Welcome

**Author's Note: Happy New Year everybody! Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. I'm still getting a feel for writing with the Pevensie children so continue to tell me if any of them seem OOC.**

**That being said, I own nothing except Rosalie and some of her family. The rest is property of C.S. Lewis.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter Eight: A Warm Welcome

He grabbed my arm before I could turn away from him.

I didn't really know what had come over me. He was very bold about what he was saying, but was he right? Oh, that didn't matter! I was too angered to be thinking logically. Even if what he said about me was…accurate.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at me," You're _really_ so bold as to treat a King of Narnia in such a manner?"

"With all due respect,_ your majesty_," I returned back angrily," You're really so bold as to make accusations against a young lady you have met just today? I find that hardly fair to do…even if you are a _King_."

My words seemed to have sunk in with him, for he did not say anything for a few moments, but he hadn't released his grip in that time either.

Thoughts were buzzing all around in my head. His words rungs loud in my head:

_You say that I'm arrogant, Miss Rosalie, but I think that you struggle with the same pride._

Surely, I wasn't that prideful? Not as much as him…surely.

I had challenged him to a duel, but I didn't see that as arrogance. I also remembered that I had done some taunting…perhaps that wasn't the best act of humility. He also said that he could tell by the look in my eyes. Was it painted on my face that obviously? I didn't want him to help me, but I could have helped myself…maybe.

"Peter?" a boy's voice called from outside the room; I soon found out that it was Edmund.

Even though my rage was calming down; I was still glad to be free when his fingers slowly let up their grip on my arm.

The High King released a sigh and then looked at me with pleading eyes," Perhaps, we can talk about this more at a later time?"

He had looked very angry when I had first hit him and I don't blame him to be honest. If I were the High King of Narnia, I would not have wanted a Telmarine girl telling me off nor would I had wanted her slapping me.

I met his blue eyes once more and gave him a small nod. We both owed that to each other, at least, since we hadn't started out on the right foot, so to say. This didn't mean that we would suddenly become the closest companions, but at least we could be more cordial to each other.

He returned my nod and with a turn of my heel; I was going to bed for the night.

* * *

"Surely, you do not expect us to fight _here_?" Peter shot at Caspian, that next day in the Stone Table tomb after we had all received a good night's rest.

We had risen early to discuss what exactly we intended to do with our war strategy. Caspian was rather fond of the idea that we fight from our base of the How, giving us the advantage.

"We do not have the numbers to defeat them on their grounds!" Caspian reasoned.

Peter's first idea as King was to lead a surprise attack on the Telmarines, claiming that many of their soldiers would be distracted searching for especially Caspian and me, as well, after I shared that my father was one of the Lords. He felt as though we had the numbers to at least weaken them while they were distracted.

I didn't know for sure where I stood on the matter, not that my opinion really mattered. I wanted to side with Caspian because he was my fondest companion that I had, but it wasn't really logical to me for us to fight on the site of a burial ground. This was a sacred place, not a war field.

Then, on the other hand, Peter's idea was sounding more rational to me. We could surprise them when they were least expecting it. Sure, some of their troops would be there(they would be foolish not to be), but wouldn't it be better to face them when they wouldn't be as strong? No one would argue that the Telmarines weren't strong, so shouldn't we take any chance to weaken them that we could?

I ,obviously, still wasn't on the best terms with Peter, which was what prevented me from speaking up. Caspian would not be happy that I didn't agree with him and Peter would be baffled that I would even consider siding with him after being so "disrespectful".

The argument continued in front of my eyes and I sat back to watch. I would do as they decided, since they knew much more of war than I, but that idea that I had dreamed up soon disappeared.

"Peter," his sister, Susan started," Don't you think it would be wise to trust the ones who are of the Telmarines? Rosalie and Caspian both are one of them, essentially. They would know what they are speaking. We don't know much of the Telmarines because of our absence. I would recommend that we allow the natives to make the choice."

This opened the door to what happened next.

I crossed my legs on the rock that I sat on towards the side of the room. I hadn't wanted to be in the center of the action. This was not my area of expertise. War and battles.

Peter turned his gaze over to me," Do you have anything to add?"

I raised my eyebrows and then answered," Well, since you asked," I began as I jumped off of the rock I was perched on, I looked nervously between Peter and Caspian. I had no idea what I was about to say, but words starting coming out of my mouth faster than I could think.

"I-I," I stuttered as I shuffled around the center of the gathering," I know that from what my father has bragged about and from what I have witnessed, that the Telmarines are very powerful. Our numbers here are not the strongest, they surely cannot handle _any_ sort of an attack on the Telmarines," I told them and I immediately saw Peter's eyes look away from me; he thought that I was siding with Caspian, but then I continued.

"However, I know that an attack with them is…inevitable. We must face them at one time or another and if I had to choose when I wanted to attack them…" I paused again, this time looking at Caspian who looked nervous by what I was about to say. I barely even knew what was coming out of my mouth," It would be when they are weakest."

The High King's face was shocked as he looked back over to me. Caspian wore a look of shock as well and he replied to this with a question for me," Are you _agreeing_ with him, Rosalie?"

I looked into Caspian's dark eyes before replying," Think Caspian! You know just as well as I that an army as powerful as Miraz's wouldn't even have to put much effort forth to destroy us in a traditional war setting! If we reel them here, then they will destroy _everything_. This is a special place of rest and not a war field."

I think that I answered his question well enough for him. He looked away from me and I knew that I had hurt him, but I had to stand up for what I thought was right. I wanted Caspian to be King once more and ,since they wanted my opinion, I would fight for him with the ideas that I thought be most suiting.

"Thank you, Rosalie," Peter said from his place; he must have been just as confused as Caspian.

"Wait!" The youngest Queen called from the Stone Table, where she was seated atop," Don't you all think we are leaving out someone important?"

We all looked at the Queen as she looked around to all of us," Aslan," she said simply," Why are we not waiting on him?"

It was a good point, theoretically.

"I think we have waited long enough for Aslan, Lu," he said to her finally before she could utter another word he claimed," We shall attack tonight. Get the word out and we will finish our plans for the attack."

"Tonight?" Susan asked incredulously, by the side of Caspian.

"You are crazy," Caspian told Peter and I had to agree with them. Perhaps, we should have had more time to prepare.

"They are right-" I started, but before I could even finish; the High King spoke.

"It has been decided. We are going to finish this now rather than wait."

Determination was written on his face. It reminded me of the determination that I had when I ran away from my home in order to help someone I loved dearly.

* * *

We spent a good portion of the morning and afternoon making plans and finalizing decisions. We also got word out to all of the soldiers regarding plans for the evening and it would have been a lie to say that they were pleased by the decision. Most were outraged, but because of their dedication to Caspian and the King and Queens of Old, they still did as they were told.

Caspian had not spoken to me, directly, the whole day after the meeting.

Later that evening, I was taking Kingslee out for another ride. I wanted time to be able to think before we were invading the castle. I had to mentally prepare for what I might possibly see in going back to the castle.

While I was riding Kingslee, I had stopped down at the stream to get her a drink of water, as well as fill up my own canteen. I was quietly humming to myself as I admired the peacefulness of the stream, but I was not alone for long.

"I must say that no one has ever intrigued me quite as much as you have, Rosalie," the High King's voice came from behind me and I glanced up to see the light haired young man dismount and join me beside the water.

I had rather hoped that he wouldn't bring up this whole discussion thing until later, but I realized that I had to face him with this at some time or another.

I smiled, a genuine smile, at his comment," Why do you say that?"

"Well," he started as he opened his own canteen," One moment, you are outraged with me and striking me, but then hours later you are siding with me on a war plan."

I could see why he would find this intriguing. I capped my canteen before answering him. I wouldn't say that I liked him anymore, at that moment, than I did when I struck him, but he was _slowly_ growing on me. There was a piece of me, deep down, that I believe really wanted to like him, but the dominant part was the despise I had for him.

"So, what is your theory?" I asked him as I tied my canteen to my saddle.

"My theory?" he asked, looking up at me.

"Yes, what have you deduced about me. I'm assuming that you have some sort of an idea," I replied, making an assumption of him as he had for me," Just based on what I have seen."

He stood up," I'm leaning on two factors. Either you siding with me is your form of an apology or you are only siding with me to act as revenge toward your dear friend, Caspian who has been spending quite some time with my sister."

I froze in my tracks, but before doing anything rash, like I had before; I had to realize that Peter was honest. He was always going to tell me just what he thought and I had to respect that because I was just the same way. Even though my anger wanted to come to the surface, I replied simply.

"I believe you are mistaken," I told him," You must realize that I want to do what is best for the cause and you just so happened to be the one with the better idea."

He tied his canteen onto the saddle of his own horse before replying," I don't want to push my limits, as I did last time, but…," he paused for a moment, obviously choosing his words wisely," Are you sure, Rosalie?"

He wasn't trying to be smart; I could tell. Even though it may have sounded like it at times…he wasn't trying to be. He was only trying to figure me out, but I didn't have an answer for him this time.

I had to find a way out of answering his question. I noticed that the sky was becoming dark and it was almost time for us to be flown out to our positions for the raid that night. I mounted Kingslee and he noticed what I was trying to do.

"Are you, Rosalie?" he tried once more as he mounted his horse.

Before I kicked my horse out of the forest and back to the How; I _had_ to give him an answer. I looked up to the sky for some sort of answer from someone to help me. To give me some wisdom and I once again found my words coming out before my brain could process them.

"No. Not at all."

* * *

I realized that, by my answer; we would have to have another talk sometime and even though he asked me to say more as he caught up with me on our way back to the How; I pleaded that he would give me time to think. He respected my wish as we arrived at the How. The side of me that wanted to like Peter was in pure bliss, while the other part of me was criticizing myself for being so stupid. Being torn is a hard, rough feeling.

As soon as I pulled Kingslee into the tunnels and had her tied, I was being grabbed on my wrist by Queen Susan to get onto our griffins. It was quite a rush running frantically through the tunnels, armed and ready for battle.

I had never really fought any one before. Of course, I had dueled and all, but the closest I had ever come to actually attacking someone was when we first met the Pevensies. I couldn't even imagine the thought of killing a person…

We were already high in the sky before anyone had said anything.

"How are you feeling?" Queen Susan asked me from her griffin to the side of me, I had been rather wary about trusting the griffin. I hardly felt secure, dangling from its claws.

I shook myself out of my daydream and looked at her," I'm alright. Just a little nervous."

She looked away before looking back at me," Have you ever been in anything like this before?"

It was like she had read my mind.

I shook my head and I could soon see the castle off in the distance and my stomach lurched.

"Just keep your eyes open and don't be afraid to strike. I'm sure you will be fine as long as you stay near one of us," she advised me and I nodded my head. I couldn't help but thank her for that.

I was about to go into battle with Queen Susan. This is what I used to dream of when I was little. Although, I had to admit that I was not as excited about it now that I had actually met her. She was nice enough, but she had started to become a close companion of Caspian, who clearly was fond of her.

Caspian and I had insisted we released Doctor Cornelius, since it was because of him that either of us was there. They reluctantly allowed us to, as long as we were quick about it. As we arrived closer to the castle, my stomach was turning so fast that I could have gotten sick right there, but I tried to keep myself together.

King Edmund was dropped off at his tower with his "electric" torch(an invention I had never seen before). He was to signal the rest of the army after we had made it safely into the castle to open the gate to the drawbridge. After he had been dropped off the pack of griffins came closer to the main bridge of the castle and dropped us onto the hard ground.

When my feet met the Telmarine ground once more; I almost collapsed. I felt secure with the armor that they had allowed me to wear, but I also felt so in the open and feeble. Caspian and Peter soon followed after Susan and I, which gave me more sense of security.

"C'mon, let's hurry to his quarters," Caspian whispered in my ear as he grabbed my arm, soldiers were beginning to notice us and Peter and Susan were already fighting them off. This was the first time he had spoken to me all day after the meeting.

We ran in the opposite direction to the stairway that led to the quarters of the royal families. It was eerie at night and we encountered some small watch guards, but they were not much of a problem. After many stairways, we found his quarters and entered into his study where the door was left open from an apparent breaking in.

We looked through all of his belongings and found that many of them were gone. The Telmarines had obviously already beat us to him. We thought that it would only be necessary to check the cellars to be sure Doctor Cornelius really wasn't here. If he wasn't in the cellar then we couldn't wait any longer. By doing this alone, we were already breaking the plan.

"Rosalie," he finally said to me as we exited the study," Go see your family."

I looked at him in shock. There was no way I could sneak a family trip in.

"Caspian, that wasn't part of the-"

"Listen to me," he said, looking straight at me," They are just right across the hall. You must meet me in the gatehouse in ten minutes. Your father is out keeping patrol tonight; I saw him on our flight in. This is possibly your last chance to see them for a long time and I don't want you to miss out on seeing them. We are already breaking the plan, surely once more couldn't hurt it," he then smiled at me.

I was touched that he was thinking of me. He always knew that I loved my family and even though I knew it was against the rules and Peter would probably throw a fit once he found out; I turned away from him.

Caspian started pushing me toward my family's quarters, but before he could I looked at him," I really am sorry…for not agreeing with you. I-I just-"

"Rosalie, it is fine," he assured me quickly," Go!"

I looked at him one last time. He was sincere when he said it was fine and I could tell by the look on his face. I obeyed him, but still looked back to make sure he was on his way.

Then, I was alone.

The hallways were dark, but I soon saw my family's door and quickly sprinted down to it. I was about to see them again! It had felt as though it had been ages since I had last seen them. My nerves quickened as I knocked at the door softly.

I heard footsteps and prayed that Caspian had really seen my father out. If he was in there, then I could say goodbye to helping Caspian win his throne back.

The door opened and my heart almost exploded-it was beating so hard.

"Rosalie?" my brother answered the door, dressed in his night clothes. I threw myself into the quarters once more and embraced him.

"Jacob!" I cried in relief as I hugged him tight.

"Father…" he whispered to me as he broke the embrace," He wants you back. He's outraged."

I wasn't listening to my brother, for I didn't have much time. I kept walking back to the hallway to where my sister's bed chambers were. I slowly opened the door to see her softly sleeping on her bed. I came to her bedside and brushed a few spare hairs out of her face.

She shot open her eyes.

"Rosalie?" Penelope asked drowsily and she immediately sat up. I grabbed her tight and planted a kiss on her cheek," Where have you been? Father is going to-"

"Shhh," I put a finger on her lips," I do not care what father will do, but please just don't say anything to him about me coming to see you. I haven't much time and this might be the only time I get to see you again for awhile."

A tear began to form in her eyes," You mean…you aren't staying?"

"I can't, dear," I told her as I stood up once more," Please, stay strong."

"You can't go, Rosalie," she told me simply and threw her covers off of herself. She acted as though she was going to stop me.

I looked at her. Something must have happened for there was a look in both of their eyes that I had never witnessed in them before.

"Rosalie," Jacob said softly as he came into the room," Father found all of mother's books that she used to read to us. He found every single one of them. Ever since he discovered that, he's had mother sent away. We haven't seen her ever since you left, but the night he sent her away…it was-"

Penelope came in, her voice high pitched as if she were fighting off tears," It was horrible! Rosalie, they came in and took her away. They were beating her and throwing her around like she was nothing but trash."

"Father told us that he would never let us be around her again because she was a lying, deceitful woman. He didn't tell us what he did with her, but we haven't the slightest where she could be," Jacob added in, apparently not wanting to relive all of the details.

I couldn't believe my father. He couldn't have. How could he have found out about everything of Narnia that she owned? Tears were swelling up in my eyes at the thought of my mother being brutally beaten around like she was nothing. I had always thought it would be impossible that he would ever discover anything about what our mother had taught us for so long. It was one thing that he would plot to kill the _King _and it was another to have his own wife, the caretaker of his children sent away. There were now two levels of disrespect that I had for him.

"They were only stories!" Penelope recalled, tears flowing down her face," That's not so bad."

I assumed that after Caspian had run off, as well as myself, in search of the Old Narnians…rules ,considering the punishment of those who were found teaching it were severely punished, got stricter. The thing Penelope did not know was that they were not only stories.

"Both of you must realize something," I began as I started inching toward the door," These stories of Narnia are true. More true than anything I have seen in my life. If you don't believe me, look out your window and see what is invading the streets when I leave," I told them both quietly," You will see them all."

"You can't mean that you actually found the Old Narnians?" Jacob asked me, quietly.

"I have, but the both of you must know that I will come back one day for you. Please, be strong and don't cry any more. Jacob, take care of-"

"No!" Jacob cried, throwing himself between me and the door," We can't let you go! Don't you see?"

I stood there with wide eyes, shocked at my brother's behavior. He had better of had a good excuse for choosing then to be stubborn. Caspian was waiting for me to help open the gate and I couldn't afford to be late.

"Father told us that if you ever came back to us we were to tell him right away," Penelope informed me as she moved to the door as well, a serious look on her face.

"If we give you to him," Jacob started," Then Mother will come back to us."

"You _left_ us," Penelope spat out at me, the look on her face, now angry," Mother was always there for us."

I wanted to argue with them, but I couldn't because they were absolutely right. Why would they want me back when I had left them?

**Author's Note: So, what do you think? :)**


	9. Trapped

**Author's Note: Sorry it's taken me a couple of days to update. School is back in full swing and I'm busy again. It doesn't help that I experienced a bit of writer's block in the middle of this chapter either, but nevertheless here it is!**

**I own nothing! ****J**

Chapter Nine: Trapped

There was a pounding at the doors and I knew that Jacob must have somehow summoned the guards while I had left him alone briefly to see Penelope. I let out a deep sigh and crossed my arms.

"Can we please talk about this?" I pleaded with them, it couldn't hurt me to at least try and plead with them.

"You didn't want to talk to us before," Jacob replied; his voice was dripping with attitude.

I _had_ run off without talking to him or Penelope or mother. Had I just told them my plans before, then this whole situation could have been avoided. That wasn't logical really because had I told them; they would not have let me go.

Despite his being right, I wanted to try everything I could to get them to change their sudden negative view of me. I didn't realize that leaving them to find Caspian would have changed their view so drastically…

"So this is how it ends?" I asked them as I moved toward the window," You, my own brother and sister, turning me in to father? After all I did was try to help my friend?"

The men began yelling," Jacob? Penelope? Open up!"

The pounding became louder as I waited for an answer from my brother and sister. I took a glance out the window, seeing if anyone was around that I could possibly signal. There was no way I would be able to jump without killing myself. My eyes searched frantically for someone, anyone, but no one was out. The gate wasn't even open yet, which probably meant that Caspian had gotten held up as well…or he was waiting for me.

"You _betrayed_ us," Jacob spat out," You told Dad everything and then ran away... Too scared to face us."

I couldn't believe my ears. This was the lie father had fed them…that _I_ gave mother away? And then just ran away because I was afraid?

Why would they believe such a thing? Father wanted them to be at odds with me so that it would be easier for him to capture me. He knew that by getting those who I loved at odds with me that he was not only breaking my heart…but also getting what he wanted…me. I was becoming a threat to him, the night I ran away I became a threat to him and he had to do anything he could to stop me from getting what I wanted. Even if that meant lying to his children.

"Jacob," I started, walking back over towards them," I didn't tell him anything. You surely wouldn't believe such a blatant lie?"

"Well, it's a little too late for that now," he said quietly, as he turned his hand on the door knob," Turning you in is the only chance we have of finding mother again."

He couldn't be that dense.

"You realize he could be lying to you?" I shot back, his hand stalled on the door knob," Even if he was telling the truth about me, you realize that mother could be dead. He could have killed her for all you know."

He shot a hard look at me.

"Don't say such things," he growled," Father would never do a thing."

If he only knew…

I raised an eyebrow," He ordered for her to be sent away! What's stopping him from doing anything else? Plus, I'm only reasoning and you should be too before you turn me in Jacob. Have you considered the fact that perhaps I was going to find Caspian? Since he is one of my closest companions and it grieved me deeply to see him go."

Jacob shook his head in disgust at me, but Penelope was not looking at me as harshly. She had appeared to be mad when she stepped in front of the door, but her expression now told me that she was confused. There was still hope that I had convinced her of something…she didn't look as sure of herself.

Even if I only had one of them on my side…that was better than nothing.

"Are you willing to do that Penelope?" I asked her as Jacob turned the doorknob all the way and I drew my sword," Are you willing to give me away? Never to be seen again with no guarantee that you will see mother again?"

"Don't listen to her, Penelope!" he said heatedly," Remember what father said about her."

"Father has lied to you, Penelope!"

She looked at me with wide eyes and then at Jacob, but the door was soon flung open before Jacob could even fully open the door. I kept a pleading look on my face as I kept eye contact with her.

She still didn't answer, but soon General Glozelle was stepping into the room after his troops. They all were armed with cross-bows, something I hadn't expected them to have. I began taking steps away from them, slowly. Maybe the window would be a better option…no I couldn't fool myself. It was a long fall. I didn't want to give myself up without a fight, but I had no other choice. As much as it pained me, I dropped my sword for it would be useless against cross bows. I didn't want to test how well those men shot a cross bow.

"Penelope!" I cried her name once more, but Jacob soon grabbed her to move her out of the room.

"Come along, sister," he told her softly," We've done all we can."

He pushed her along, she hesitated slightly as they left. Her eyes met mine one last time before the guards bound my hands behind my back and picked up my sword. One of them noticed my dagger attached to my belt and swiped it out of my possession.

I was trapped. There was no getting out of this now.

"Nice to see you again, Rosalie," Glozelle smirked at me as the men began leading me toward the door.

"I cannot say that I feel the same way to see you," I spat back as we exited my sister's bedroom and began leaving down the hall.

"I'm disappointed in you," he said softly in my ear as we walked quickly down the hallway and I kept my eyes averted from his. They were all trying to make me feel guilty. I hadn't done some major crime, but in my father's eyes…I might as well had.

Before the door was opened to the main hallway of the castle, I heard a struggle and a yell from down the hallway, behind us.

"Rosalie!" my sister yelled my name," Don't go!"

"Penelope!" Jacob called after her, angry.

And then it was like the night I had left all over again. I tried to shove off the guards to let me get to her. I tried all that I could, but I only got more hands shoving me through the door.

"Penelope!" I cried back as they shoved me through the hallway.

I couldn't let this happen again. I couldn't leave her again, but the strength wasn't in me to fight them away. They were much stronger than me. Their strong hands pushed me out into the main hallway, still crying out for my sister.

I had to leave her crying once more. Only this time, by force.

* * *

They shoved me through the hallways of the castle and I could tell that they were leading me to the courtyard. I had never actually seen the prison in Telmar before, which is what I assumed they were taking me to.

It was not a place that I would have ever spent much time. I hadn't the slightest where it would be, but it only made sense that it would be away from the quarters inside the main castle. We soon entered the courtyard.

When we exited the main castle into the courtyard, it seemed as though the guard around me became heavier. From the courtyard, I could see the gate to the city open from the courtyard and Narnians spilling into the city limits, through the broad shoulders of all the men. Caspian must have been able to get the gate open on his own. He was probably worried about where I was.

But before I could look for him, I heard Peter's voice. I could see that many Narnians were being killed. It was obvious that they had the underhand in the battle.

"RETREAT!" he was screaming," GET OUT! DRAW BACK!"

He was running around to all of the last Narnians fighting. They began running away from the city and I heard Glozelle chuckle at their retreating. I soon saw Caspian and Susan, still fighting. I had to get one of their attention before they left me here. They were my last hope to get our of there.

"Caspian!" I managed to scream and just when I did a hand was shoved over my mouth.

"Gag her!" Glozelle commanded the man holding me back as I squirmed in the soldier's grasp, screaming a muffled scream. A piece of cloth was soon shoved into my mouth, hard.

I was quite a distance away, but my call was loud enough to catch his attention before he had left the gate to retreat. His eyes met my frantic eyes as they continued to pull me away. I fought and fought as he started running towards me. I noticed Susan running after him.

"Caspian!" she yelled, but I could not hear any of her words after that. She was pulling at his arm, urging him to go. He looked at me with sad eyes, obviously trying to decide between the two of us," Think logically," were two more words I could pick out.

I tried to scream again, but the man kept the cloth shoved hard against my face. I squirmed and squirmed, trying to fight my way out of the Telmarine's grasp, but it was just as useless then than ever.

_Follow your heart_, I thought to him,_ Not her._

Caspian broke his gaze on me and looked at her. I could tell that he was torn between two, but quite frankly I would have thought that his best friend being taken away in the hands of soldiers would have been the more important choice…but I was wrong.

He looked at me with pathetic eyes, wishing that he could do something. Then he turned around to leave.

Soon I saw Peter appear next to them, looking beaten from battle. He spoke some words to them; I could not hear any more. They were having a heated conversation, I could tell by his facial expressions.

He shot a glance back at me after talking with them.

"Peter!" I heard Susan and Caspian yell.

To my surprise, he started sprinting back toward me. The gate would soon be closed. He was risking his safety…his life…to come and rescue me. He came, sword drawn at the soldiers. I couldn't believe my eyes. Caspian left alongside Susan while Peter was the one coming to my rescue.

"Get her to the cellars!" Glozelle commanded as the man holding me pushed me along quickly, but I couldn't let Peter out of my sight. He was the only chance of getting me out.

I watched as Peter attacked one of the soldiers who escorted me. The man he was battling was a big man, much stronger than Peter was, but I kept watching as they dragged me along.

The duel was a hard one. He fought and fought, but he was not destined to win. Peter had taken a swing at the guard, but his sword was soon knocked out of his hand and the soldier slapped the High King onto the ground. My eyes widened as I saw the soldier's sword raise high into the air, over Peter's head.

I let out a muffled scream as the sword came down, but then everything went dark after being hit with some large object.

* * *

I left my consciousness and went into a stage of nostalgia. I felt numb. My thoughts left me and everything began drifting away from me. I didn't know how long I stayed this way, but I soon came back to reality when I felt the touch of cool, wet brick on my cheek. My head was throbbing.

My eyes fluttered open and I looked around my surroundings. I appeared to be in some sort of a imprisonment. I slowly lifted myself off of the damp ground to see my surroundings better.

My first observation I could really make was that it was dark. Very dark. The only light that was coming into the place was the moonlight through the small holes in the cells all around that allowed the prisoner's to see out into the town. There were metal bars separating each imprisonment from the other, but they appeared to be empty. It looked as though I was alone in a Telmarine prison.

There was nothing in my cell. Not even a bed of any sort, just the cold brick ground and walls. I stood up and walked over to the edge of the cell, putting my hands through the bars.

"Hello?" I asked, realizing that it was probably a pointless question. My voice echoed throughout the cells.

After a few moments, I let out a sigh and took a seat in the middle of my cell. I should have never left Caspian. The thought that I would actually be able to go back and see my family was too good to be true, of course. Many thoughts were running through my head as I sat there with my knees tucked up against my chest.

Peter.

He was the first person who's face I saw when I closed my eyes. He actually tried to save me…even when it really was a lost cause. I didn't understand why he had tried to save me. I had been mostly rude to him since I had met him. Was he alright? Did he escape? Or would he soon be appearing in here? Surely, the man would not have killed him right there on the street. I could not dwell on that thought.

What I really could not seem to fathom was the fact that Caspian had stood by and done nothing. _Nothing_. That was not him. He listened to, Susan instead of trusting what his instinct was telling him. He listened to logic. That was the first time I had _ever_ seen him listen to logic or "think logically" as she had said. He was always a person who listened to what his heart was telling him, but when he stood there, not doing anything…I did not recognize him. He was struggling with the decision, but I had hoped deep down that _he_ would come to my rescue.

Tears came flooding out of my eyes. I was losing my best friend to…to my favorite storybook character.

"Don't cry, dear," a voice in the dark said softly. I could not recognize the voice, but it had a tone to it that was soft and warm.

I looked all around to see where the source was coming from before I saw a woman's beaten face in the cell across from mine. I was in shock.

The face of the battered woman…was my mother. My beautiful mother looked as though she had been through a battle herself. Scraps and gashes were planted all over her delicate, dark skin. Bags were heavy under her faded green eyes and she looked very frail. She had crawled out of the darkness in her cell into the slight moonlight.

"Mother?" I asked, wiping away a tear from my face.

"Yes, dear Rosalie," she replied, ever so softly as she held onto the bars, grasping them as if they were her only support to keep her from falling over.

"Oh mother!" I cried out, crawling to the edge of my own cell," What have they done to you?" I whispered.

She gave me a small smile," Your father found out about our little secret, love. The evening after you left-he came barging in. I had not been stealthy enough, Rosalie. He came home from a meeting, with a troop of soldiers, who dragged me here."

I looked at her in shock; she was not the woman who I had left behind…on the outside at least.

"They…they beat you," I stuttered, tears kept coming back to my eyes.

"Rosalie," she said my name softly," Do not worry about what they-"

"No! Mother, they hurt you and…" I looked away from her," It's all my fault."

I whispered the last phrase as I curled back up into a ball. I should have never left. I should have never left my house that night and stole Kingslee to go running after a boy who didn't even care for me enough to try and save me. I should have gone to bed that night and cried over Caspian, but not gone after him. I should have _never_ left to find him. It was all a mistake.

By leaving, I had lost the respect of my siblings and gotten my mother arrested and beaten. I was a horrible daughter. I was a selfish daughter who thought by leaving her maniacal father, she could save the Telmarines from a corrupt man and help her best friend regain the throne he deserved.

"Rosalie," she said, once more softly, after several moments," I am not ashamed of you. You have nothing to regret."

"But mother," I argued, tears now streaming from my eyes," This could have all been avoided. We could be huddled in bed right now, still learning about Narnia. We could still all be together."

She sighed," Rosalie, listen to me. Look at me."

I turned my gaze over to my frail mother.

"I only need to know one thing from you," she began.

"Yes?" I sniffled.

"You did run away to find Caspian, correct?" she asked me, looking me right in the eye.

"Yes," I replied, still sniffling," Why else would I have ran away?"

She let out another sigh before going on," When your father came in to take me away…he had already known about my secrets. When we asked him how he knew…he claimed that it was you who turned us in, but was too afraid to actually face us. I couldn't believe it, but before I could know for sure… I just had to hear it from your lips."

It made me feel pleasant to know that at least one member of my family had stayed loyal to me.

It burned me up that my father would dare say such lies about me. I could not stand the feeling of him turning me into some sort of traitor.

"Jacob and Penelope…believed him?" I asked her, not wanting to believe the truth.

"Of course they did, Rosalie. He is their father. All they knew was that he was telling the truth. How else would he have found out about us? It did not occur to them that he could have just simply walked in on us," she explained to me," Plus, heaven knows what other threats he has placed on their head in my absence."

It did make sense. It was just as I had told Caspian earlier…they were too loyal to father to ever betray him like I did. They could handle doing lessons behind his back, but not much more than that. They still were obedient to him…unless there was some sort of a threat as mother said.

When Caspian offered to come and save them that one evening on our horse ride, I knew they would never be able to pull themselves away, but it didn't exactly occur to me that they would actually turn me in. I had taken their loyalty for granted.

"It just angers me that they would side with a lying, deceiving murderer such as him," I spat out, still irritated.

My mother gave me a shocked look.

"How did you know about his scheme to kill the King?" she asked me, quietly.

I had forgotten that I had never told her, but then I realized that my finding out was partially the reason that I had left him.

"He practically told me the night that Caspian fled," I explained to her," He claimed to have not been the one wielding the sword, but he planned it. He said he wanted to tell me earlier, but he couldn't pull himself to. He also admitted to Caspian's attempted murder. How did you learn of it?"

She nodded her head when I talked and when I asked my question, she answered," I was eavesdropping on one of his conversations with Miraz. I happened to be walking around the Great Hall one evening and they both had a little too much wine. They were speaking so loudly, it was a surprise that the whole castle did not hear them."

The confessions of a drunkard.

"I'm so ashamed to have such a father," I said softly.

"And I a husband," she said sadly," I would have never imagined on my wedding day that my beloved husband would be a greedy, murdering pig."

I looked at her in sympathy. She had committed her life to such a man. I thought of how saddened I would be if I ever married my sweetheart only to discover that he loved greed more than he did me. I would have been heartbroken, but mother did not shed a tear. For she was a strong woman. I only hoped to be like her one day.

"I'm sorry, mother," I said quietly.

"Do not worry, Rosalie," she replied, hiding her emotion," All that we can focus on now is the future and how we are to get you out of here so that you may continue to help Caspian and the Old Kings and Queens."

Caspian.

It was hard for me to think about helping Caspian now since he had failed to help me.

How had she known of the Old Kings and Queens?

"How did you know about them?" I asked, slightly confused.

She smirked," Those holes in the walls may not be very large, but they are big enough for me to see out. The pictures in the books of them were rather accurate. It did not take me much to figure out who they were."

I chuckled before she started talking again.

"Now, you must get out of here to go help-"

"Mother, I don't think that they want me back," I said, interrupting her.

"Why of course they do! Did you see the look in the High King's eyes as he came to save you? I would say that they most definitely need you!" she exclaimed, I hadn't realized she was able to see all of that from her little hole.

"But Caspian and Susan-"

"Caspian…is confused," she said cutting me off," You must get back to them. You will be valuable to them Rosalie."

There was a pause for a moment. I had to ask.

"Did you see what happened to Peter, mother?" I asked," After they dragged me off? I wasn't-"

"They finally had enough of you so they knocked you out which would explain the sizable bump on your head," she explained," But the High King managed to flee."

"How-"

We both fell silent for we were about to be joined by another. The door at the top of the staircase to the cells was creaking open and the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs echoed in our ears. I looked up in horror.

**Author's Note:** **I know, not one of the best or most exciting chapters, but I promise things will start to get better! Keep reading :)  
**

**Thanks all!**


	10. Breaking Out

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews guys! **

**I own nothing :)**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter Ten: Breaking Out

Horror was an understatement as to how I felt when I saw that man walk down the stairs. It felt like ages since I had looked into his face in front of our fireplace as he admitted his crimes to me. I glared at him as he walked down the last step, smiling at the both of us.

"Good evening, ladies," he said cordially, I wanted to tear down the metal bars and break him right there," Nice to see you again, Rosalie. I hardly believed them when they told me they found you right in my own quarters. What wonderful children I have!"

I glared at him, hard. He was not funny even though he wanted to be. It was a mocking type of funny, not a humorous type of funny that he emitted.

He smirked at me when I didn't reply and then continued on.

"I've come down to inform the two of you of your sentencing," he said to us, acting as if it was all of a sudden, a professional meeting.

My eyes widened and I looked over at mother, hers were just as wide. We both looked up at him and I got to my feet," What are you talking about?"

He looked at me sideways," Why, you didn't hear? The King has just ordered a new decree about those caught promoting the ideas of Narnia."

Mother raised her eyebrows as she spoke," Surely you are not denying the fact that Narnia exists still? The invasion tonight must prove to you that they are real, Sopespian. You cannot punish someone for speaking about something that is clearly real."

He turned his gaze over to his wife," Yes, none of us could deny that, dear Rebecca, but we could easily now charge a person with conspiring with the enemy. Siding with the Narnians is one of the worst things a Telmarine could do at this point in time so there is a very…hefty punishment to those caught."

Mother did not say another word.

If I didn't like my father before, then I despised him even more now…if a level of dislike that large were possible. He was going to get us legally punished because of Narnia? This was rich. Just rich.

"And would you care to inform us what that punishment is?" I asked him, leaning against the bars.

His dark eyes met mine," We want to make an example. We want to show the Telmarines that we are serious and that people like _you_ need to be disposed of. King Miraz only finds it appropriate that we have a public hanging."

I gulped. The reality of the matter struck in. I had always thought that perhaps my father would try to murder me, but having me killed in front of those who knew me…around those who helped raise me was just…embarrassing. I was just an object in the road for him…on his road to being King.

"Sopespian!" mother spat at him angrily," Surely, you will not allow such a thing to happen!"

He furrowed his brows and looked back over at her," Why should I show you any mercy? You were a disobedient wife who taught our children things that should have never reached their ears. Look at what you have done to our daughter. Look at the mess she has caused because of her knowledge of Narnia. There is only one person to blame and that is-"

"Me," I interrupted him, he was not going to blame mother for my sins," I am the one to blame. Mother told me what I needed to know about Narnia. What Mother told me brought all of us a happiness that you could never imagine. She brought our family together while you were too busy trying to work your way to be King. If you are going to blame anyone for my sins, then I see it only be appropriate that you blame me."

He tilted his head once more, looking at me as though I was mad," I was going to give you a second chance, Rosalie. I was going to welcome you back into the family after you came to your senses, but I can see how you feel."

"Welcome me back? You came down here to sentence us to a hanging!" I fired back at him.

"On the contrary, Rosalie, I was going to offer _you _a second chance, but I can see that you are not interested-"

"No!" mother interrupted from her position on the floor," Rosalie, don't be irrational. At least listen to his proposition."

"Mother, I don't want to hear anything-!"

"Rosalie," she said sternly and I could tell from the look in her eyes that she meant what she said and if I didn't follow she might just knock down the bars herself and make me allow him to talk," I do not want you to have an end to your life any sooner than you should."

As much as I didn't want to, I looked at father," I'll listen to you."

He smirked again at me," Good. Now, this is what we have decided to offer you. We know that you are close companions with the Caspian boy, correct?"

"Obviously," I grumbled and he continued.

"We want this whole thing over with as quickly as possible and maybe spare many lives on both sides. I will welcome you back into the family with arms wide open if you can go back to their little fortress and lure the Prince out of hiding. Now, we trust that you could scheme up a good plan in order for this to work, but-"

"Absolutely not."

He narrowed his eyes," What?"

"I don't want to hear any more of this ridiculous plan. Plus, I do not think you could ever convince my siblings to love me again. You've already turned their heart cold to me. And lied to them," I said to him and my mother wore a look of shock on her face. Why was she so shocked? There was no way I could turn in Caspian even if he was not my favorite person at the moment.

He let out a sigh," Well, that is unfortunate to hear, Rosalie. I thought that maybe you would be able to redeem yourself and prove yourself loyal to your family, but it appears that you have chosen the rebellious path. How tragic it is that you could not be both."

He turned back toward the stairs, but turned around before exiting," Since this is how it is going to be. Your hanging is scheduled two days from now. Good evening."

He didn't say another word to us before exiting the cellar. I stayed leaned up against the bars, but I couldn't let myself cry again. I had already shed too many tears and I did not want to let any more break out from my eyes.

"Rosalie."

I looked over at my mother who looked frustrated with me.

"Yes?" I asked as I turned my back to her to take a seat once more.

"Sometimes I wish that you would have gained some more strategic thinking from your father," she sighed as I sat down on the damp ground; I was mildly offended.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

She chuckled," You're just so stubborn that you won't handle-"

"Mother!" I interrupted before she could insult me any further.

She still laughed," Oh, Rosalie it's not a bad thing."

I didn't like being treated like a child and she was doing a good job of making me feel that way.

"It most certainly doesn't sound like a good thing," I shot back at her.

She stopped laughing and through the moonlight I could still see a smile on her face," Darling, just think of what you could have done if you had humored your father and gone with his idea."

I furrowed my brows as I looked at her in the dark. What was she talking about?

"Mother, I couldn't give away Caspian-"

"No!" she cut me off," Haven't you learned by now that words are useless unless put to action? He would have allowed you to leave here, Rosalie. He would have practically lead you to Caspian and the others. Back to where you belong."

But I would have also been leading a troop of Telmarines out to their base as well.

"I don't see-"

"Rosalie, you could have made him a false deal," she said seriously," You could have broken out of here, gone back to Caspian, and told them about the Telmarines outside. You could have easily turned the situation around on them."

Why couldn't I have thought of that? Mother was right, I was most definitely too literal and stubborn in my own ways. But then I was forgetting, that they didn't really want me back. The only one who possibly did was Peter.

"Oh," I said aloud, but Mother cut me off," But I couldn't have left you!"

"As if I am of importance!" she scoffed at me," I hope that you would not stay here just to keep me company."

"Mother, I will not let you-"

"Rosalie," she silenced me and there were a brief couple of minutes of silence before she spoke again.

"Don't worry too much of it," she ensured me as I watched her lie down," We still have two days to plan. Try to get some rest."

But I was going to worry about it. I most definitely was. Two days didn't seem like much time at all to plan a jailbreak. A successful one at least.

I also knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep. My mind was much too busy.

* * *

Two days went by much too quickly. We went through many different sorts of plans as to just how we could escape. Some of them seemed reasonable, but others…not as much. After coming up with a sizeable list, we narrowed down to the ones that were real contenders.

None.

More evaluation told us that all of our attempts would soon be foiled. Most of me wanted to give up hope, but a small chunk of me still wanted to keep fighting.

The night before our hanging came about and all mother and I could do was sit in silence as we tried to think of more ideas. We sat in the cold, dark cells for many hours, saying a word here or there, but mostly just silence. I would stand up and walk around my cell, trying to scheme up some elaborate plan, but none of them would work.

It must have been getting close to midnight, when another idea struck me, but when I turned to inform my mother of my plan; she was already fast asleep. I sighed as I climbed over to my own "window" in the cell. I looked out and planted my hands on the wet stone.

There was no activity in the town, from what I could see, but as I stood there more and more happenings began to occur. I ,first, saw some soldiers riding down the cobblestone on their horses. I watched, for it was my only form of entertainment at the time, and saw that the men were riding toward the gatehouse.

They soon dismounted and scurried off to begin pulling up the gate to the town. I found this to be a curious event, so I continued watching. They lifted the gate after several minutes and I could see that the drawbridge was being released. Of course, it was a normal occurrence for them to be letting down the drawbridge at daytime, but in the middle of the night? This was most definitely a suspicious case.

I wished so badly that the bars were not preventing me from climbing through the little hole and leaving this awful cell to explore, but my wishes would probably never become reality. I didn't even know if I would ever see the outside world again other than perhaps once more when I was hung the next morning.

I scolded myself for thinking so negatively, but it was hard for me not to. My mother had practically given up already (without saying this, of course) and my own heart was beginning to pound along to the sound of that rhythm: defeat.

Nevertheless, I continued watching. Soon, after several minutes, a large troop of soldiers was coming into the castle from the other side, over the drawbridge. They marched into the city, proud and confident. I soon saw my father come out to meet Glozelle, who was at the front of the pack.

My desire to hear what they were saying was large and soon granted as they began walking toward the castle, which was in my general direction.

"All has gone well, General?" my father asked him, as they came and stood in the courtyard.

Their voices were hushed so I had to listen very carefully in order to hear correctly.

"Yes," the dark haired man replied with a nod of his head," We have scouted the area and several different scouts have confirmed where the rebel forces are based."

My father shook his head, understanding before asking another question," So you have confirmed that they are at the sight where their mythical leader, Aslan was supposedly killed. In those tombs, correct?"

"Yes, my lord, that is where they are located," he said approvingly," We have also found numerous places where we can set up camp in the vicinity of the burial grounds."

"Excellent work," my father replied, giving the man a pat on the shoulder," Now, we must get these soldiers into training."

Glozelle shot him a shocked look," So soon?"

My eavesdropping was cut short as I felt a hand on my shoulder. Acting on instinct, I dropped my elbow square into the besieger's abdomen. A male voice let out a grunt of pain.

I turned to see the face of King Edmund, bent over in pain," Geez, you really know how to hit.

I had to be dreaming. There was no way that Edmund Pevensie had broken into my cell to get me out of the Telmarine prison the night before my hanging.

I embraced him. He seemed shocked at the contact and chuckled, a pain-filled one," Careful, you practically just broke my rib!"

"Oh hush," I laughed, as he stood up straight," I didn't hit you that hard."

" I beg to-"

"We don't have much time!" a girl's voice called from the stairway and I looked up to see her.

Penelope.

This whole situation was getting stranger by the moment.

How had Penelope met up with Edmund? How did they know where I was? If I hadn't known of these cells, then Penelope surely couldn't have…unless she was just playing along with father's game and had a bigger plan this whole time. How in the name of Aslan were we going to get out of there?

I put all of my questions behind me and let the story unfold in front of me.

"Penelope?" I questioned," What's-"

"Yes, yes, yes, it's me okay?" she spat out quickly as she grabbed the key from Edmund and began unlocking mother's cell," Just don't ask any questions right now."

Mother awoke right as she heard her own cell jingling. She blinked several times before saying something," Penelope? Dear, what are you doing here?" she actually sounded rather mad when she found out it was Penelope.

"Yes, mother?" Penelope answered as she threw open the cell door; she scurried in to pull mother from the ground and hug her quickly.

Edmund and I stood by at the reunion of my sister and mother. It had to be a relief that she knew her mother was alright. I saw tears falling from her eyes, but her expression soon changed when she saw Edmund and I standing outside watching.

"Edmund! Get Rosalie out of here! What are you doing? Go!" she demanded, turning her glance away from mother.

"Oh right," Edmund mumbled as he started toward the stairs, pulling at my arm.

"Wait!" I stopped for a moment, I couldn't leave them again. Not after all of this.

"What? Go!" Penelope urged," I've got this under control, Rosalie as long as you _go_."

"I can't leave you guys again," I replied simply, looking right into my sister's bright eyes," Not after all this."

Penelope sighed and mother looked from her to me," Darling, trust your sister. We can handle ourselves for the time. Go help the Narnians."

"But mother-"

"Rosalie," my mother replied sternly," Go. Now."

I knew that I had to go as much as I didn't want to. I turned to leave with Edmund, but after I placed my foot on the first step, I turned back and hugged my mother and sister tight.

My mother chuckled, while my sister groaned. She was trying to be a brilliant sister with a brilliant plan and there I was making it more difficult.

* * *

Edmund and I ran through the underground tunnels of Telmar quickly; I following him as he tried to remember the correct directions to get back up to the city. I had never realized that all of this lay under the castle and I hardly realized that Caspian and I had never discovered it in our adventures as children.

I immediately put the thought of Caspian out of my head. I was still mad at him. Infuriated actually.

He wasn't the problem at the moment though because as soon as Edmund and I came back up to the city, we were in the courtyard of the castle. There were troops everywhere and Edmund instructed me to stay in the dark and out of sight. Our trip was rather successful through the castle, which he had predicted to be the most tricky part.

As we ran through the city, it was a little easier to move about. There were still some troops here and there, but we were careful to hide our selves stealthily as we moved toward the gate.

"I'm hoping you have a horse or something with four legs or wings that can take us the whole journey," I told him quietly and he smirked.

"Once we get out of the city, I have my horse tied up behind one of the barns," he ensured me as we walked in the street.

We continued walking down the street where, just moments ago, troops were marching down the street. I noted that there were still a couple of guards by the gate that seemed to be protecting the pulley system to release the drawbridge and pull it up. It was still down right now, which meant they were probably still expecting more soldiers in.

"We have to sneak passed the guards. They are probably going to spot us which means that when I give you the word, run. Fast," he told me quietly as we stood against one of the Telmarine homes.

I nodded my head quietly as we slid along in the dark shadows and before long Edmund looked at me," On the count of three, run through to the gate."

"One…." he started.

A few moments passed and my eyes were set on the opened gate and the path to freedom that lie ahead.

"Two…."

I kept my eyes set on the path and nothing else.

"Three. Go!" he whispered as loudly as he could and we were off.

We went sprinting through the city street and we were soon right in front of the gate, starting on the pathway to leave.

"Whoa! Hold up you!" the guards called, soon after spotting us. We almost about to make it to the gate.

"Start pulling down the gate!" a voice yelled from far behind," It's Lady Sopespian; she's broken out of jail!"

I looked back to see a sea of soldiers flooding down the streets. The sight of them encouraged me to run faster.

The gate slowly started to close and Edmund prompted me to go faster. Arrows were shooting passed us left and right, I was perceived as a criminal among my people now so they had every right to shoot at me, according to my father.

"C'mon!" Edmund yelled as we got closer to the closing gate.

The men pushed harder and harder to get the gate down, but Edmund and I kept running faster and faster. The gate became lower and lower and I saw my road to freedom slowly closing.

"Get low!" Edmund commanded as we came right up to the gate.

And with the gate crashing down on us both the King and I rolled under the gate and ran over the drawbridge with the men still yelling as the gate crashed down.

My breathing fast, I looked over at Edmund," You have much to inform me of."

His breathing just as fast, replied," Yeah, I know."


	11. Explanations

**Author's Note: Thanks to the reviewers! Sorry for the delay. This last week was ridiculous with finals and I really do apologize for not being able to write more. I will make it up to you guys with the next couple chapters! **

**I don't own anything…still.**

**Enjoy! **

Chapter Eleven: Explanations and Excuses

Edmund and I continued running and running until we had finally reached the outskirts of the town. My legs couldn't handle much more of the intense running and I was hoping that soon we could continue our runaway on horseback.

"So, where is your horse at?" I finally asked him, my breath still heavy, as he began slowing up just a little bit.

He kept his glance ahead and replied distractedly," Yeah…about that."

My heart almost stopped beating. He did have something to take us back…right? He had said he had a horse tied up behind a barn.

"Edmund…" I started, anger starting to boil, if he didn't have anything then I could expect to be hung in just a matter of hours," Please tell me you have something. You said horse."

"Well…" he started as he started, looking up to the skies," I should."

"What do you mean you should?" I asked him, hoping that he was only pulling some sort of joke.

We had held off the troops for a while, but I looked back over my shoulder and it looked as though they were pulling the gate up quickly. Dozens of them starting piling out of the castle.

"Edmund, if you don't have something we may as well lock ourselves back into those cells!" I yelled at him as we started running again.

He didn't answer, but only kept on his way. His mind was obviously elsewhere and it bothered me that he wasn't answering me. I could hear the sound of the hooves coming up behind us.

"Edmund!" I yelled again and he broke his glazed over look and shot a glance at me.

"Would you _shut up_?" he finally commanded, probably fed up with me, he sighed, aggravated," Just trust me okay?"

I guess I could have sounded annoying with pestering him like that.

I wanted to say something else, but I obeyed and followed closely behind him as we approached the barn. I had no idea what to expect, but my hopes were crushed when we ran around to the back of the barn to find nothing. Nothing but a pasture that stretched all the way to the tree line of the forest.

"C'mon, c'mon, where are you?" I heard the King mutter under his breath, looking all around.

The sound of hooves echoed in my ears, but that sound was not nearly as loud as what my heart seemed to pounding. Sweat began forming at my temples as Edmund looked around frantically for our escape.

I put my hand down to draw my sword to embrace the soldiers, but found nothing. I had forgotten that both my sword and dagger had been taken from me. I still said nothing, but let out a groan of aggravation as I the hooves got louder.

Edmund began running around frantically looking all over for this rescue that I was determined wasn't coming.

"Where's that stupid griffin at?" I heard him say aloud.

"Griffin?" I accidentally let slip out, forgetting his previous command," What happened to horse?"

"I thought it'd be funny to see your reaction if you saw a griffin instead!" he replied, semi-irritated still.

I rolled my eyes. There was something about boys teasing girls that I would never understand. I imagined what my reaction would have been, but my thoughts were interrupted by the men approaching.

"We can still catch them!" yelled one of the men in the distance.

"No, they won't," I muttered under my breath as I glanced toward the tree line. Our last option was to run. I didn't know what Edmund was waiting for, but I was going to go somewhere and anywhere was better than being sitting ducks asking to be caught.

I started running toward the tree line and grabbed Edmund on my way," Hey, whadya think you're doing?" he exclaimed, trying to pry my grasp off of him.

"I will not allow them to take us back in there!" I yelled at him as he reluctantly came along. I felt as though I was literally dragging him. Why did he have to be so stubborn?

The men had now come to the back of the barn and were in the same pasture as us. I looked back, but kept running forward.

"C'mon, Edmund!" I pleaded with him, hoping he would give up this false dream of something coming to save us.

"Wait!" he finally stopped in the middle of the field.

I sighed and prepared myself to be taken back in for the men were pounding toward us at a rapid speed.

I looked up to where Edmund was pointing and it looked like a bright star coming closer to us by the minute. If I hadn't been mesmerized by the brightness and mass of the star-like object, I would have ran in the opposite direction in fear that it would hit us.

"They've stopped!" one of the men yelled, confirming our obvious action.

"What?" another asked and a buzz went through the men as their glances shifted from us to the object.

Their horses came to a stop, in awe of the object. The whole lot of us stood there, on opposite sides, not running toward each other, but merely standing looking up in awe of this massive object, glowing and barreling toward us.

"What are you doing? Grab them!" Glozelle yelled, coming to the front of the pack, he soon saw the object and was immediately silenced.

But it wasn't an object at all. No, even as we stood there, in awe of it, I scrutinized it more and my eyes told me that it was an animal of some sort. As it came closer, I could clearly make out feathered wings coming out of its side. A white glow was being emitted from it and I could have sworn I heard a whiney. When it was about to make impact with the ground, everyone standing there could see that the object was in fact an animal. A white, flying horse.

Definitely not a griffin.

"King Edmund the Just and Lady Rosalie of Telmar?" a loud, thunderous voice called out and its voice echoed throughout the whole land. It came from the mouth of the horse.

"Y-yes?" Edmund stuttered, after a few moments of taking in its beauty.

"I have come to take you back to where you belong," the horse told us.

It was one thing to see a minotaur or centaur speak because they were now so common to have a conversation with, but a horse; I was not used to hearing a horse speak. I was still too shocked to move even when the horse beckoned us.

"What are you doing! Stop them!" Glozelle screamed, breaking the amazement of the men," Don't let them get away!"

Edmund dragged me along to the magical creature. I noted as we got closer that its eyes were an icy blue (odd for a horse) and I thought I saw a smile appear on the massive horse's face as we climbed on. After we had settled on, the creature began running at full speed toward the men.

I watched as the men scurried out of the way like scared little boys, but we were soon airborne.

"Don't just stand there!" another man yelled from the ground," Load the arrows!"

I looked down to see the men frantically loading arrows into their crossbows. The horse seemed oblivious as it raised higher into the sky.

"Watch out!" I cried as the arrows came flying through the air, but the horse chuckled.

"Lady Rosalie, there is nothing to fear," the creature ensured me as the arrows came flying toward us, but burst into flames and their ashes fell to the ground before they could penetrate any of us.

"How-?" I asked, awestruck by what had just happened and looked to Edmund for some explanation. He just shrugged; he was just as confused as I.

"My lady, you must not question what Aslan is capable of doing."

* * *

We flew through the night, high in the sky above the valleys, forests, and mountains of Narnia. I didn't speak for a long while because I couldn't get over the madness that I had just experienced. I was in a lot of shock from all of the events that had happened over the last three days.

I mostly wanted to know how in the world Edmund came to know my sister. There was no way that she would have known him prior to my being captive and to see the two of them together was mind boggling.

The horse was also another curiosity. I wanted to know just how the horse correlated to Aslan, but I didn't know if I wanted to pry into that just yet.

Above all, I really wanted to know why Caspian hadn't come to rescue me in the first place, but like the horse, it was something that I didn't want to explore just yet. Mostly because the person who I needed to question about the matter was not yet present.

"Edmund?" I finally asked and he looked back at me; I was sitting behind him.

"Yes?" he answered, his voice sounded tired.

"Can I ask you something?"

He chuckled and looked right at me," You probably have a lot to ask, don't you?"

I smiled at him and nodded my head," You could say that."

"What do you want to know?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Where was I to start? How could I choose where to start? I would eventually get my answers so I started with the first one that came to my mind.

"How ever did you come up with…," I tried to pick the right word to describe the rescue," all of this?"

I probably could have chosen a better phrase to describe the whole ordeal, but he knew what I meant, nonetheless.

He looked away for a moment before he answered," Well, after you were captured…Caspian and Peter have been at each other constantly. They can't agree on anything. It's so childish. The whole lot of us are ready to slap some sense into the two of them."

I could tell I was asking for a long story. It was alright by me; I was sure that I had missed a lot of what had happened, but I had rather hoped that they would at least be planning what they were going to do next and not bickering like children.

"It all started when we were coming back from the raid. We lost a lot of men, if you couldn't tell, and I think emotions were running high. Peter was fuming, but it was all bottled up. Finally, just as we were entering, Lucy came running out to meet us. She only wanted to know what happened, but Peter exploded."

"He blamed Caspian for the losses. He said that had he just followed the plan and not broken off on his own little plan, then we would not have lost near as many men. You see Caspian didn't like that, as you could imagine, and shot back claiming that the whole situation could have been avoided had we not even gone and he argued that Peter could have called the attack off sooner," he paused in his story.

It shouldn't have surprised me that they would get into an argument. Both of them wanted to rule. They also both had strong personalities and were bound to argue.

Edmund sighed," Peter then brought up you. He said that there was no excuse as to why you were in the clutches of the Telmarines. Caspian couldn't reply. He didn't know what to say. Peter kept on pushing and pushing, saying all sorts of unnecessary comments, but Caspian just seemed to be out of it. He had gone from being this stubborn, argumentative Caspian to one who seemed scared to say another word. He had even drawn his sword before, but at the mention of you…he dropped his sword."

"Susan finally stepped in and told Peter that he had said 'quite enough'. Peter stormed into the How, leaving the rest of us outside. Susan and Caspian went on a walk while Lucy and I went in to find our brother. They haven't spoken to each other without arguing since then."

I had noticed, though, that even though I now knew what had happened in my absence; Edmund still hadn't answered my question.

And I also noticed that , according to Edmund, Peter seemed to be very upset by the fact that I was gone…this puzzled me as well…still.

"That is ridiculous, they shouldn't be fighting over such things! They need to be planning what to do next! Of course, there are going to be wins and losses, but don't they know they must put those behind in order to fight back again?" I asked, not expecting an answer, but mostly just venting my emotions," Never mind that for now, continue."

"I knew that in order to calm the tension, or at least get Caspian and Peter to speak to each other again, I had to get you back. I didn't know how, but I knew that I had to. I explained the situation to Lucy and she agreed with me. The two of us began plotting what we would do. Lucy and I knew that we must do whatever it took to get back to you, but Peter, Caspian, and Susan couldn't know about it. Peter couldn't know because he would argue that it was not safe, Caspian would basically think the same thing and if Susan knew she was bound to tell one of the two of them."

This was probably true. Caspian might have actually helped them, but that was the old Caspian, I didn't know what the new one would have done. They were probably right about Susan as well. I didn't comment though and allowed Edmund to continue.

"So, late one evening, Lucy and I snuck out to where the griffins slept. Just a short walk outside of the How, since they really can't live inside of the Tomb. One of them, Lucy had become rather fond of and claimed that she could get him to take me to the castle. I don't really know how all of the animals are so fond of her, but that doesn't really matter," I smiled at this, I found it hard to believe that any one couldn't be fond of Lucy.

"The griffin was rather reluctant at first, even to Lucy. It thought that it would be breaking orders, but we assured him that when Peter found out, the griffin would not be harmed or punished. He agreed halfheartedly and I was soon on my way to the castle. Lucy would have loved to come along, but I told her it was too dangerous and that one of us had to stay so that the others wouldn't be as worried."

The Pevensies never ceased to surprise me and I was thoroughly impressed by Edmund and Lucy's strategic thinking and courage to sneak behind the backs of their siblings. Everyone, including my mother and Penelope, seemed to have thought that I would be of some help to the war effort. I had yet to figure that out.

Edmund continued with his story.

"I reached the castle early that next morning and knew that I would not be able to make as dramatic of an entrance as we did last time during the raid. I couldn't draw as much attention to myself so I had the griffin drop me off in the woods just outside of the Telmarine castle, just far enough to where they wouldn't realize anything suspicious."

"I waited for seemingly forever, hidden in the woods some and in the shadows of the town, trying to scout just how I would get in to save you. I hadn't prepared for the fact that the drawbridge would not be drawn and that I would have no access to the castle until they brought it down. They finally brought it down. I didn't know how long it would be down, so I went fast and took care of a couple guards on the way. They weren't the most intelligent fellows, let me tell you."

I laughed at this. I could only imagine the guards, dumbfounded that they actually had some action on the job and in their state of nostalgia being knocked out by Edmund.

"When I reached the castle entrance inside the walls, I snuck in behind a group of soldiers entering. I made sure to stay in the shadows. I made my way through many hallways, I actually think that I got lost quite a bit. Eventually, I ran into your sister near what I think to be the Royal quarters. Like I said, I hadn't the slightest where anything was. She was dressed like a servant and I was rather surprised when she pinned me against the wall, held a dagger to my neck, and demanded I tell her just who I was."

My eyes widened at this. Penelope had done this to him? Held a dagger to his neck and all? My sister must have been quite the little pretender. I would have never imagined she would have the courage to do such a thing…even to someone who she thought be an intruder.

"After some explaining and retelling of my stories, she finally put the dagger away and trusted that I was telling the truth about my identity. She told me that she would be too easily recognized if she wore her normal clothes so she had to dress in rags to be more easily hidden. She explained that you were her sister and I realized that I had run into just the right person."

"What was her plan?" I blurt out, interrupting him.

"I was getting to it," he muttered, annoyed, under his breath and continued," She told me that she was going to try to break you out. Apparently, she had found those underground tunnels when she was a little girl and had followed her father down when he had first gone down to speak with you and your mother just a couple of nights ago."

Penelope? My little sister had found the tunnels? Yet Caspian and I never did…she must have done a lot more adventuring then I thought she had. She had even followed father down into the tunnels when he had come to tell mother and I of our sentencing. That was probably how she knew the time frame and when she needed to get us out by.

"Rosalie, she had this elaborate plan planned out. She had a time frame of when she knew the guard was going to be down. After she first followed your father down and realized that she had found the two of you, she continued exploring down there and found a tunnel that lead to the forest."

I shook my head in disbelief. Just hours ago, I was convinced that I was unloved and unwanted by all of my family (excluding mother), but Penelope had known what she was doing this whole time. She had crafted a master plan that had worked.

"So is that where she took mother? Out that tunnel?" I asked him.

It made me a little nervous to think about my sister and mother wandering around Narnia by themselves, but I soon reminded myself that my little sister had just planned a major jailbreak. Even though I couldn't prevent being a little nervous for them, I knew that she knew what she was doing.

He nodded his head," She was originally planning to take you out with her through there, but since I was there and I had told her that I had set up a way out; she thought it would just be quicker for me to take you out and escape to the How on griffin while she and your mother traveled to How on foot. She had supplies packed for the trip and a map of how she was going to get there. Then after she had me fully informed, we went down to the underground tunnels and she led me to the cells. I probably would have never found you had I not ran into her. It was a matter of luck really. "

Penelope was a genius. I should have never doubted her. Never. Not even for a little bit. She was brilliant. And I was going to be able to talk with her about all this and hear it from her mouth in just a couple of days. I hoped that she would be alright and that her and mother could make a safe journey so that I could speak to the both of them without being confined to a prison cell.

"But as you can see, this wasn't originally part of the plan," he told me, referring to the winged horse," The griffin was suppose to come back for us…but it wasn't there, obviously. I don't really know what happened, but I suppose it got tired of waiting or something. That's why I was so upset when we were waiting around back there."

A chuckle interrupted our conversation and my thoughts. I had almost forgotten that our transport back to the How could speak and understand everything that we were saying.

"The griffin was attacked by the Telmarines," the horse spoke in its thunderous voice once more," The one that you brought with you, your majesty had taken rest in the forest and a troop of soldiers happened to stumble upon them while it slept. The beast didn't stand a chance."

Edmund and I looked at each other, puzzled. It was strange enough that this animal could fly and speak, but surely it could not have witnessed this.

"That's too bad" Edmund somberly, but he soon asked," But…how-how did you know that?"

"Don't you know what I am, your majesty?" the horse asked Edmund, who still looked as perplexed as I.

Edmund was still contemplating his answer and took a few moments before answering, his thoughts seemed to be coming to him when he exclaimed," Wait! Aslan is the Father of the Winged Horses! Right?"

The horse nodded," You are correct, your majesty. We, winged horses are, what you would call, the messengers of Aslan. Aslan came to me and told you of your situation. He knew what was happening to King Edmund's escape griffin and told me to make haste and come to the rescue. He has also become rather fond of you, my lady."

"You mean to tell me that Aslan sent you to save us?" I asked incredulously," How did he know?"

I had a very small belief of Aslan when my mother used to tell me of them and when Caspian had ran away, I had asked Aslan to provide him with safety. I knew he was there…but it was surreal. It was surreal to think such a Lion that overlooked everyone was real even though I had never seen him. It could have merely been luck that Caspian was safe...just because I had asked Aslan didn't mean that he had provided Caspian with safety. Now, these actions suggested otherwise with the winged horse and all.

"My lady, I again, repeat myself: you must not question the ability of Aslan. Remember, He is the creator of Narnia…no one knows as much as He does," the horse informed me, " We are to trust and obey what he tells us to do, without fully understanding for ourselves."

The idea was still so hard for me to grasp my mind on though, trusting and obeying someone who never seemed to show himself? I wasn't as convinced as Edmund seemed to be, but it was the only theory I had at the moment. We had been saved by the Lion who created Narnia. I didn't know why he cared so much for me, but the horse claimed that he did.

"Well, it looks as though we have almost arrived at the How. Prepare for landing, though I have practiced smooth landings, I never have mastered them," the horse warned us as we starting to drop lower in the sky.

"So soon? Why not even a griffin flies this fast!" Edmund exclaimed as he shifted himself on the horse to prepare for impact.

"I will take that as a compliment, your majesty," the horse replied and I smiled at this.

I grabbed hold of Edmund as we came barreling down out of the sky. I could see the How now, rather clearly. I could only imagine what the watch centaurs were thinking as they saw this ball of white falling out of the sky.

The horse had been right about his landings. They were not smooth. Not at all. In fact, I was wondering why we had not been slowing down as we approached the cold, hard ground, but I didn't ask any more questions. When we hit the ground, I almost took my own flight through the air, but I held tight to Edmund.

"Sorry, again," the horse said tenderly as we sat in shock.

"That's alright, don't worry about it," Edmund assured him as he threw his legs off the horse. Once he was on the ground, he assisted me as well.

Edmund patted the horse once more," Thank you and tell Aslan the same, will you?"

The horse nodded its head in affirmation and then I walked up to the head of the horse," Will you tell him the same from me?"

I think I saw a smile form on the horse's remarkable face. It's blue eyes met my own. I could not believe that a horse would have such blazing blue eyes.

"Of course I will, my lady," the horse replied and I gave it one last smile before turning to enter the How," And one more thing."

I turned back around to meet the horse's glance once more," Yes?"

Edmund had already started his way back to the How as the horse spoke to me again," Aslan wishes for you to trust your heart for your heart always knows what's best."

I didn't really understand what Aslan was supposedly trying to tell me, but I smiled and assured him that I would. I couldn't help but ask one last thing of the horse.

"I just have one last question," I whispered to the horse," You said that Aslan had become rather fond of me. Why?"

The horse looked at me sideways," My lady, I believe that he admires your courage. Not many young women such as yourself would be willing to be so loyal to even their closest friend. Not many would be willing to stand up against their family. That is an honorable trait to have."

I nodded my head, meekly. I had so many more questions about Aslan, but I knew that the horse needed to be getting back and I needed to be getting inside to calm all of the worried beings.

"The best of luck to you, Rosalie," the horse said one last time.

The angelic creature turned and began running off into the distance before flying into the air. With one last whinny, the horse was gone.

"Edmund!" Queen Lucy exclaimed as we entered the Tomb once more. Smiles were on the faces of everyone in the How as we entered.

The Pevensies shared a family reunion as all of them hugged Edmund and exclaimed how happy they were to be back. I felt odd standing out the outside looking in, but it made me happy to see all of them thrilled to see their brother once more.

The youngest Pevensie made her way over to where I had planted myself on a rock and surprisingly, she embraced me," We were all worried about you."

I smiled as she said this," Thank you for your concern, Lucy. It's good to be back."

"Don't leave anymore," she told me, smiling right back at me as she broke the embrace," Things haven't seemed the same."

I didn't reply, but still smiled at her as she made her way back to her perch on the broken table.

Soon Susan and Peter came to stand in front of me. Susan looked at me, up and down for a moment before saying anything," It's good to have you back," she finally said, but I couldn't tell if she was genuine or not.

When she walked away, I saw that Peter wore a smirk as he stood in front of me," You know, it was a little sad to not have someone around here to despise me."

A small smile grew on my lips as he said this and I even chuckled at his comment," Well, I guess you can cheer up because I'm not going anywhere for awhile."

I didn't think that "despise" was the appropriate word to describe my feelings for Peter, but I wasn't going to let him think any different for the time being. I had actually begun to like him a little better before my capture.

His smile grew bigger and he, tenderly, placed a hand on my shoulder," It really is good to have you back and I really do apologize for not being able to do more for you when…well you know."

I nodded my head knowing what he was referring to. I looked him right in the eyes and said," I understand. You are not the one who needs to be apologizing, Peter. You did all that you could."

And I meant it...he really had.

In my peripheral vision I saw that Susan was standing next to Caspian in the far side of the room. I found it odd that he had not come to say a word to me; he could have at least said something. Even if all he said was "sorry", that would have sufficed, but what I really wanted was for him to explain himself and as soon as Peter stepped away, Caspian stepped forward. My heart started beating faster as he walked toward me and it took everything within me not to explode at him for what he had done.

"Rosalie," he started, not looking at me, but rather at the ground, obviously ashamed," I think that I owe you an explanation for-"

"I would hope so," I interrupted, crossing my arms, my voice had probably came out a little colder than I would have liked.

**Author's Note:****I will have the next chapter up very soon! Promise. I've already started it and this one was longer and a lot of talking, I know, but it was necessary in order for Edmund to explain everything, I think..haha :)**


	12. Excuses

Chapter Twelve: Excuses

He looked very nervous as he stood in front of me. He wrung his hands in front of him and started pacing in the circle of people. I couldn't help but notice that all eyes were on him. I apparently wasn't the only one that wanted answers from Caspian; I assumed they had found out what he had done as well.

As upset as I was with him, I didn't want this to be anymore uncomfortable than it already was going to be…for the both of us.

I looked around to the by-standers," Could we have some privacy please? Only for a while?"

They all stared at me for a moment, but soon began to walk toward the exit.

"Wait!" Caspian called before they left," Stay. All of you. I know that you all have judged me for what I have done to Rosalie as well and I would like to clear my name."

Many whispers buzzed through the crowd and they slowly moved back into their previous positions.

"Caspian, are you-" I started, confused that he would want such a thing.

I was only trying to help the matter for him, but if he didn't want it…then that was his problem. The situation would only be more awkward for him.

"Please," his eyes met mine," It's what I want to do."

I didn't say another word and broke my gaze with him. It took a couple of moments for him to begin speaking. I could tell by the way he was pacing and the look on his face that he was carefully choosing his words.

Patience was growing thin with me as he stood there, fighting with himself over what to say.

"You have to know something," he finally spoke to me, softly," Every fiber of my being wanted to come back for you, Rosalie. You _must_ know that? Surely you do not expect me to tell you that."

Sadly, that was exactly what I wanted to hear him say. I wanted him to be the one running after me to come to rescue and not just stand by. After what he had done, it was too late for him to say things such as that.

His eyes were expecting an answer from me so I chose my own words carefully.

" It was hard for me to assure myself of that as I sat in that cell for almost three days, Caspian," I said, the tone of my voice may have sounded cold once more.

"Rosalie," he said my name, still as calm as ever," We are the best of friends. You are my closest companion, surely you would know that I _wanted_ to?"

My eyes narrowed at him. I found that my words began spilling out of my mouth before my brain could process them.

"Then why _didn't_ you?" I spat at him," It's not like you couldn't have at least _tried_. If I was so important to you, then would you have been the one running after me as they drug me away?"

He looked hurt by my harsh accusation, as well as surprised. I couldn't help but admit that I was quite surprised by my words as well.

"Rosalie," he started," It-it wasn't safe for me to. I could have very well been asking to kill myself-"

"No!" I cried; I unfolded my arms and looked right at him," Do _not_ tell me an excuse, Caspian."

"Rosalie, it's not an excuse. Both you and I know that I would have been killed had I gone back to your aid," he pleaded, his tone becoming less calm by the moment.

"Do not lie to me," I commanded him," I saw the look in your eyes Caspian."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, clearly confused by what I was saying.

It took me a moment to process what I was going to say, but as soon as it came to my head…it came spilling out and the results were similar to that of an avalanche.

"I saw it!" I cried again," I saw you look at _her_ and then look at me. Do you think I am that _stupid_ to believe that it was a matter of life or death as to why you didn't come to help me?"

I could barely believe that I had just said that…as soon as the words went out I wanted to slap myself and pull them back in. I had only thought those things, but I hadn't really intended to bring Susan into the situation.

He raised an eyebrow at me. I could tell that he was obviously angered," Why don't you enlighten me then? Because I don't seem to know why."

I bite my lip for a moment. Hard. Almost to the point where blood was drawn, but bitter words finally came out," I have been replaced, Caspian. I have been replaced by a Queen of Narnia. Someone who I could never compare with. It's no surprise that you would choose her over me. How can I compare with _her_?"

I looked over to the pale Gentle Queen who stood with a horrified look on her face. Caspian looked at her as well, but then returned his, now furious, gaze to me.

"Do not bring Susan into this!" he defended.

"But I have every reason to," I took a step closer to Caspian, just as mad as him, my voice grew louder," You chose her over me Caspian!"

He came closer to me as well, his face angrier than before," You really believe that?" he spat at me.

"Unless you can convince me otherwise," I hissed right back at him.

He ran his fingers through his hair as he stepped away from me. His eyes shot around the room to all of the faces still watching us intently. I wondered if he had regretted not allowing them all to leave. He looked over to Susan again who looked to be watching Caspian intently, wondering just what he was going to say next.

"It was for your protection, Rosalie," he finally admitted, loudly.

I looked at him sideways as he turned back around to meet my glance.

"Protection?" I asked, my anger boiling," That's ridiculous! How could you ever think that leaving me there would equal protection?"

It would the most absurd thing I had ever heard. There was no way that I would be any more protected in the clutches of the Telmarines than I would be out in the woods with the rest of them. How could he be so naïve to believe such a barbarous thing?

"Because," he sighed, desperate for me to believe him," I thought that maybe, by chance, your father would take you back. Your family loved you too much to keep you locked up in a cell. Surely they couldn't stay mad at you forever. They could be mad at me, but not at you. I knew that eventually they would have to let you out-"

I stopped listening.

His plan should have worked. That should have been the case…but it wasn't. Caspian didn't realize who my father was. He didn't realize a lot of things because I had never told him a lot. I never had the chance to tell him… All he knew was that my family would be happy to see me…

But that wasn't enough for me.

I shook my head," There's so much more to it than that, Caspian!" I yelled at him, as tears started to surface to my eyes.

"What is it then?" he shot at me.

I sighed and crossed my arms once again. My eyes avoided his as I fought back tears," When you left me, Caspian…when I went back home…Jacob betrayed me. He and Penelope turned me in to father because he had told them that I had told him everything about mother and what she had told us of Narnia. He then lied and said that I then ran away because I couldn't bear to face them. He took away mother. He threatened that if I ever came back to see them, then they were to turn me in if they ever wanted to see mother again. Jacob actually believed him and Penelope only pretended to. If it weren't for Penelope, rebelling against my father and for Edmund and Lucy, then I would have been _hung_, Caspian. My hanging was scheduled for this next morning."

He swallowed hard before saying anything else. I could tell that he felt horrible…and his eyes told me that he was apologetic, but my heart was still cold toward him. He had only made me more upset. His heart meant well, but his actions were very childish if he thought that would actually work. He didn't know a lot of the details which should have given him even more of a reason to come running after me. He shouldn't have relied on what he didn't know for sure.

He should have trusted what his heart was telling him. He shouldn't have trusted logic.

"Rosalie, I could have never known-"

The words of Aslan came to me. The words that the horse had told me before it flew off into the night "…trust your heart, Rosalie."

Could this have been a connection, possibly?

"Really?" I countered, my voice cracked," Caspian, tell me something. Did you do what your heart was telling you to do…or were you doing what was…seemed _logical_?"

He shook his head," Why does it matter?"

"You said that you _wanted_ to, Caspian, but you didn't. You must know that had I seen you being dragged away by a guard of soldiers, then my heart would be telling me to run after you no matter what it meant. Someone once told me that your heart always knows best," I explained to him," That's why it matters."

The conversation was done as far as I was concerned. He looked to not have anything else to say and I was disappointed that this new Caspian that had been created would not at least apologize for what he had done...by try to justify it with a story that could only happen in one's dreams.

I looked at the dark haired Telmarine one last time before turning my back and walking to exit the room.

"Rosalie!" he called, but I kept walking.

"Rosalie! Do _not_ walk out of here!" he yelled just as I reached the edge.

I paused for one moment and turned to look at him one last time," What more could you have to say to me?"

"Rosalie," he started, more softly this time," Please, we are the best of friends. Don't let this friendship fall apart, please just forgive me. I know it doesn't make sense, but please, can't you warm your heart toward me? Please…believe me."

"No," I replied," We _were_ the best of friends. Now, you've turned in to someone who, quite frankly, I don't even know."

"I-"

"You chose Susan, Caspian. And now with me out of your hair…you can be with her," I told him, coldly.

And even though that's what I _said_, I don't know if I fully believed it.

His anger surfaced once more as he came charging toward me," This isn't about Susan!"

"But it _is_," I hissed right back at him as he stopped face to face with me.

"You aren't listening! All you're doing, Rosalie, is believing this fantasy that you've dreamt up on your own! You don't want to hear anything other than what you've already decided. This whole conversation was pointless because deep down you already had me convicted!" he yelled at me," You haven't listened this whole time."

But I had listened. And listening only made me more saddened by my loss of my friend.

The crowd that had been standing-by, who I had been oblivious to, started buzzing with shocked expressions. I noticed Susan had taken a step closer to the pair of us, as well as Peter.

I choked back tears," That's not-"

"But it is!" he yelled," It is true, Rosalie! You're too proud to forgive me because I didn't do, what _you_ wanted me to do. You've got this idea in your head that I chose Susan over you and if you were the same Rosalie that I knew, you would know that I would never choose anyone else over you! Don't you know that?"

My blood was boiling with rage as he continued saying all of these things. My mind was racing with many different sorts of things to say to him, but I almost broke down right there. I couldn't stand it anymore.

Tears fell out my eyes as I turned and stormed out of the room," You're jealous, Rosalie! You're just too arrogant to admit it!" he yelled as I started running, pushing through the circle of creatures that had formed around us.

I heard Caspian still fuming, but I didn't care. I kept running, I hadn't the slightest where I was running to, but I kept going deep into the tunnels.

"If you don't know that, Rosalie…then you've changed just as much as me. And quite frankly…I don't know you either!" I heard him yell, but everything after that…I refused to listen to.

Regret immediately filled my heart.

I had just lost my dearest companion.

* * *

I made my way to the overlook eventually, where I thought that I could finally be alone.

I sat with my legs over the edge as I looked over the landscape. Narnia was so peaceful in the evening and I would have enjoyed the sight even more had I not just been through a war of words with my former friend.

I couldn't believe myself. My heart was torn in two. Part of my heart was telling me how stupid _I_ was for throwing away my one and only stable friendship that I had. Then the other part was still boiling mad at _him_. The things he had said to me had really stung, but surely he was not that ignorant.

But then again, I hadn't been the most friendly person either. Almost all of my words probably stung pretty severely as well. I replayed the whole scene through my head several times before throwing my head into my hands and sighing loudly.

"Why couldn't you have just listened to him? Why are you so bitter toward him?" I mumbled aloud to myself as I watched moon slowly sinking in the night sky.

He had claimed that I was jealous…was it really that? I put that thought out of my head quickly.

"You're so stupid sometimes, Rosalie!" I said aloud as I ran my fingers through my hair.

" I don't know if stupid is the right word," a voice said from behind me, causing me to jump" But, rash or bold may be more appropriate."

The High King had snuck up on me once again. I wasn't exactly ecstatic to see him…but I wasn't going to send him away either. I would drive myself mad if I didn't have some sort of human interaction soon.

"What do you want?" I sighed, looking out to the landscape.

I heard him take a few cautious steps toward me.

"May I?" he finally asked motioning to take a seat beside me.

"I don't mind," I replied, quietly," It's not like you're interrupting anything exciting."

"Oh," he replied, raising an eyebrow, as he took a seat beside me" It sounded like a riveting conversation with yourself," he tried to joke.

I looked at him, just how long had he been standing back there? I wanted to be upset that he had been eavesdropping, but I couldn't help but…smile. Smile? My brain was so confused that none of my emotions were making any sense.

"Please, tell me you haven't been standing back there for long," I looked away, still smiling.

"Only long enough to hear you call yourself 'stupid'," he ensured me," Don't worry."

I looked at him. I hadn't really seen this side of Peter before. My first impression of him wasn't the best. It was quite possible the worst way to view someone. Then he had spoken with me at the river bank and I was touched that he was trying to make amends, but then my view changed of him totally when he came running after me to fight off the guards. Now…he was trying to be…comforting.

Something about his blue eyes made me like his company.

"Just kidding," he smiled," I heard everything."

My jaw dropped, in shock that he would actually listen to me talk to myself," You're absolutely horrible," I told him, but not angrily or coldly…teasingly.

"You aren't going to slap me again, I hope?" he asked me, still smirking," Because I can leave…"

I looked back out over the landscape and chuckled," No, I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"Well, that's a relief."

I didn't need anyone else angered with me and since he was on the short list of people who could tolerate me at the moment…

This was the perfect opportunity to ask Peter what I had been wanting to know for the last few days. As we sat there in silence for a couple of moments, I really was curious as to why Peter had cared so much about me to risk his life. I really hadn't done anything for him to care about me. In fact, if anyone had a reason to leave me it would have been him.

"Peter," I finally started," There's something I've been wanting to ask you for a couple of days now."

He looked at me," And what's that?"

I sighed as I chose my words," You didn't have to come running after me at the castle. I had been nothing but rude to you, but yet you were willing to risk your life for someone that you hardly even knew…why? I mean, theoretically, you should have done what Caspian did."

I saw him nod his head as he listened to me speak, he looked out into the distance before answering," I thought you would eventually ask me about that," he paused," Rosalie, when you rule over a land of people you want to do anything to make sure that they are safe. When we ruled over Narnia, it was our job to make sure that everyone in Narnia was happy and safe."

"I will admit that the castle raid was poorly planned on my part. I really should have called them off earlier, but I let my pride get in the way. I thought that we could actually weaken them and I was at fault for this. I had already failed my people and when I saw you, I was determined to spare as many lives as I could. I couldn't let anyone else be taken away, Rosalie. I couldn't fail anyone else."

He had come after me out of chivalry…I was…impressed.

"Even though, I was rude and plain disrespectful to you?" I asked him, not fully believing what I was hearing," You had every reason to leave me."

He shook his head," Rosalie, you are a person. No one deserves to be left. No one deserves to be abandoned. Even though I wasn't exactly fond of you…I knew I couldn't leave you there. It's my duty to keep you as well as everything else in Narnia safe."

There was another pause that hung in the air.

I blinked, trying to make my eyes believe that all of this had come out of his mouth. I despised the High King only days ago. I didn't want anything to do with him, but ,slowly, and very slowly; I was starting to enjoy his company.

"I've made a lot of mistakes, Rosalie," he told me, breaking the silence," And coming after you wasn't one of them."

I met his gaze," What makes you say that?"

"Because you are different than most girls," he explained," I don't think I have _ever_ in all my years of meeting girls and such, met a girl who was quite as blunt and honest as you. You're very intriguing and very similar to a puzzle. The more I get to know you…the more intrigued I am by you."

I immediately felt my cheeks become hot. Embarrassment for the things that I had said to him earlier came flooding to me. It was most definitely a good thing that there was still some darkness(morning was drawing near) lingering over the landscape.

The High King seemed to notice the morning soon coming upon us and quickly changed the subject," You're probably tired aren't you?"

I nodded my head. I hadn't really slept for the last three nights and could only imagine what the bags under my eyes had looked like or my wadded mess of hair. It was a fight trying to keep my eyes open, but having a conversation with someone kept me a little more lively.

"Well," he told me as he started to stand up," Why don't you go and try to get some rest because according to Ed, we've got a Telmarine army that's planning for attack."

I looked up at him," The same source tells me that you haven't the slightest what you're doing either."

A boyish smirk came to his lips," And that's exactly why we need to start training as soon as possible and I'm going to need one of my best swordswoman well-rested and ready to strategize."

He offered his hand to help me up. I placed my own hand in his as he pulled me to my feet.

"That's an order," he told me, still smiling slightly.

"Yes," I replied, looking straight into his eyes," Your majesty."

He hadn't come to talk to me about Caspian or Susan or anything…he just wanted to comfort me. The King claimed that I was a puzzle...but he was just as complex as I. I was honored that he came after me out of chivalry, but it was still confusing that he could go from riding on my nerves to helping me in just a matter of days.

I found myself liking the High King of Narnia much more than I should have.

**Author's Note: Okay, so there you have it! I know that this chapter had lots of drama so next chapter will have action…as well as some Peter/Rosalie. ****:)  
**


	13. Training

**Author's Note: As much as I'd like to say that I own all of C.S. Lewis's brilliant-ness (not a word, I know), I don't. I'm in no way, shape, or form making profit off of this. The only thing I own is the names you don't recognize.**

Chapter Thirteen: Training

Even though the palette of blankets in the How wasn't the most comfortable sleeping place I could think of, it was better than the damp cell floors that I had been sleeping on. After being given a new set of clothing and freshening up in the stream, I made my way out to the field in front of the How. The field had turned more into a training field and I could have assumed that they had been training hard since early in the morning. I hadn't awakened until nearly midday, so I assumed that I had missed quite a bit.

I didn't know what to expect as I sauntered out to the line of Narnians standing opposite of each other. It appeared that they were having some sort of dueling lesson. I noticed that Peter was walking down the middle of the lines, giving some sort of spiel. Caspian was standing off to the side observing.

"The Telmarines are going to be quick, skilled, and relentless," I heard Peter's voice call over the group of Narnians with their swords drawn," Now, there's a certain art to sword fighting…"

A yawn escaped my mouth as I stood at the end of the training line and crossed my arms. Caspian stood beside me, but I said not a word to him. I felt his eyes on me for a brief moment, but they soon shot away. Peter continued on his lecture about how to hold a sword and such, something I had heard from my father and brother countless times while learning to swordfight. I wouldn't say that my mind was wandering…but…okay so perhaps it was.

"Rosalie, nice of you to join us," I heard the High King's voice say as he apparently just noticed me, interrupting my daydreaming," You're just the person I need to see in order to properly demonstrate a sword fight. Come now, take a swing at me."

I shot my head over to see him smiling at me. So he had known that I wasn't paying attention. My face was sure to have looked utterly shocked as he approached me with a sword in his hand.

"Oh," I chuckled, trying to talk myself out of the matter," No, I don't know the slightest of sword fighting. You're just being nice."

"Oh no," he argued, persistently" You're being modest. Now, come up and let's set an example for these soldiers."

My eyes narrowed at him. Was he really challenging me to a re-duel in front of all these men? I debated whether or not to go. My heart was telling me to step up and show him that I really could beat him in a duel, but part of me was wary of it. I most definitely did not want to lose again…especially not with an audience.

I took a step forward and finally said," You've got another sword to spare?"

A smirk grew on his face as he turned to the men," Who's willing to give up their sword briefly?"

I heard a chuckle run through the creatures as they whispered to each other. Finally the dwarf, Nikibrik stepped forward, handing his sword to me," This should be good," I heard him mutter.

I glared at the dwarf as I held the blade tight. The soldiers stepped back and formed a large circle around the two of us. I guess none of them had really seen my dueling skills, unless they witnessed my first duel with the High King.

"Now, you always hold the sword with a strong grip," he explained to all of them, and I made sure my own blade was tight in my hands," Think of your sword as merely an extension of your own body, something you would not want to lose."

His blue eyes met mine from across the circle, we began slowly circling each other.

"Would you like to add anything?" he asked me as we continued circling.

My mind raced with all sorts of different things that my father had told me about sword fighting. There were so many different things that I could say, but I chose the one that came to my mind first," Keep your eyes locked on your enemy's," I said, not breaking my glance from Peter.

"Very good point," Peter replied," Go ahead…make the first move."

I held the blade tightly and continued circling slowly, planning my first attack. Realizing that over thinking it would only make me slower, I ran at the High King with my blade drawn. I struck up high and he blocked me quickly. Our blades clashed several more times.

"Now," Peter added, his breath quickening between strikes," You want to do exactly what Rosalie just did. Think briefly about what you are going to do, but don't spend much time contemplating because most likely you will be dead before you can full think out your attack."

He charged at me again, striking near my midsection I took a step back and blocked his shot and forced his blade away.

"Again, very good. Always make sure to get the blade as far from you as possible, if possible," he added.

I felt like the more we fought, the less we were actually dueling and the more he was just adding in his own commentary. I was giving my all, but he was only giving half of his effort. There were plenty of times where he would break away from the action completely turn his back to me. Had he been a Telmarine, he would have been dead fairly quickly.

He was only showing a presentation…but I still wished that he had given more of his all.

I played along with his little instruction clinic for a while, but my irritation and desire to redeem myself became too strong. It wasn't that I was angry with him…I only wanted to prove myself.

Our blades clashes and as he held his blade at a stall with me, he looked over to the men and broke his glance with me. As he started to shift his eyes to them to say something else, I quickly hit my sword to his, sending it flying through the air. It landed in the ground right at the feet of the soldiers, who all began applauding.

Peter's face looked awestruck as he looked back over to me.

"That's the most important rule," I said to them all, giving Peter a taste of his own medicine, as I walked over to pick the sword out of the ground," _Never _take your eyes off of the opponent."

I smiled at the King as I offered him his sword back. He wore a serious look at first, he did not appreciate being beaten in such a way, but he had to force a smile. He knew it was true and he knew that I would take any advantage to beat him," Well," he paused ,taking the sword," I'd have to agree."

He put his sword back into his belt and kept looking at me.

"That'll be all for today," he announced to the men and they began to disperse around us.

I raised my brow and nodded at Peter, respectively, before handing Nikibrik back his sword and thanking him for allowing me to use it.

As I turned to go back to the How, I noticed Caspian watching us. His face looked cold and hard as he watched me intently walk by him.

* * *

Over the next two days, we continued our battle sessions and war preparations. Every morning we would meet in the field to practice archery and then by midday we were mostly dueling. Caspian would teach the men of how the Telmarines would fight and at times, when asked, I would as well. Mostly, Peter would continue to use me as an example in a sword duel, only after the one incident; he actually tried.

There wasn't a day that went by when I wasn't thinking of the Telmarines getting closer to us or my mother and Penelope trying to find their way through the woods. I imagined that the Telmarines would arrive any day now, well-armed and ready to demolish us. I wish that I could have said that we were ready, but we were far from it. The training had become more intense, but the leaders of the battle were still rather lost as to what they were going to do.

Whenever the long days of training were over, we would make our way back into the How where the soldiers would practice all that they had learned, and the "leaders" (just the Pevensies, Caspian, and myself) would go into the Tomb to try and strategize.

Strategizing was rather difficult, however. I remember Edmund telling me during our jailbreak that he and Lucy had wanted me to come back in order to help the communications between Peter and Caspian. I can't really say that I helped the matter any. In fact, if I did anything…I made it worse. I tried to stay out of the conversation as much as possible because I found that whenever I would try and give input only more rounds of arguments would begin. Strategizing was being done, but slowly and very slowly. Had the Telmarines really began training the night that I left, they would be on our field ready to fight soon.

The person who I probably spent the most time talking to was Peter. As much as it surprised me, I thoroughly enjoyed being around him. What really surprised me was that I actually found myself becoming nervous in his presence…not a bad nervous, but a different sort of nervous I guess. The feeling was new to me. Ever since Peter had come to talk to me after Caspian and I had our blowout, my view on him had changed and Peter had been a nice companion for me since I no longer had Caspian. I couldn't believe that I had ever despised him in such a way before. We had so many similarities that had been unknown to each other before.

While I was enjoying Peter's company, I still couldn't put Caspian out of my head. Now, granted, I lied to myself and said that I had put him out of my thoughts…but I never had. It was tragic that we had grown so far apart, but what more could I have done? Both of us were too proud to come anywhere near each other and try to apologize.

One evening, though, while I was traveling to my quarters in one of the tunnels; I happened to stumble upon Susan and Caspian speaking in hushed whispers. I knew that I should have walked on past, but I couldn't. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to hear just what the two were discussing…because it could have involved me.

"Caspian, I think that you are over thinking this," I heard the Gentle Queen's voice whisper.

I heard the prince sigh," Susan, you don't understand."

There was a pause before she said anything else," I may not, but I am trying to," she said softly.

Caspian let out a groan of aggravation," She is just so stubborn! Why doesn't she understand? Why doesn't she care to understand? She prances around ignoring the both of us like nothing has ever happened!"

"Give her time, Caspian. Would her confronting you again do us any better really?" she tried to reason with him.

"You deserve an apology from her," he told her, his voice more calm.

Susan sighed this time," I know, Caspian…but try to put yourself-"

"No!" he fought back," You deserve that much from her."

I was surprised to hear that Susan was trying…trying to defend me. I felt rather guilty about thinking badly of her. Caspian really was the one who was angered with me. Furious, actually. She was at least trying to make a case for me. It wasn't convincing enough to make me consider giving her an apology, but the thought did come into my head.

It just didn't make any sense to me, but I had been eavesdropping on only part of the conversation. I couldn't really be expected to understand everything, I guess.

"Give her time," Susan said softly once more.

I then heard Caspian speak even softer and had to lean in closer to hear what he said next because it was so hushed. Her words seemed to have actually sunk in.

"I love you," Caspian said ever so quietly.

For some reason, my bitterness toward him turned into a hard ping through my heart as he spoke those words to her. I could feel my heart droop slightly even though I wouldn't accept it myself. I just stood there, blindly listening.

"And I you," she replied just as soft.

There was a pause for a moment. It didn't take much for me to figure out what was happening. I took a step away from the wall in which I was eavesdropping and started to walk by the entry to the room that they were in. I wanted to walk by briskly, but as I started to walk I found myself caught in the middle of the entry way looking at the two of them.

Memories started flooding back from my childhood. I remember first seeing Caspian at that dinner table, dressed in his best clothes, laughing with _me_. I remembered the first time we rode horses _together_. I remembered sneaking around the castle with _him._ I pushed the memories away because he didn't care for me anymore. His lips may have told me that he did in that Tomb just days ago, but now his lips were pressed against those of the queen. I shook my head and continued on my journey to my quarters, not really surprised, but hardly believing what I had just seen.

As I prepared for bed in the small quarters that I shared with the Pevensie girls, I found Lucy sitting with a mirror in her hand. I guess my face looked rather awestruck for she asked me," Rosalie, what's happened?"

I tried to shake myself out of it. It wasn't suppose to bother me. I didn't care for him anymore. I _didn't_ care for him anymore. The only thing that didn't make sense to me was if I didn't care for him so much…then why did it pain me to see him kiss her? Why?

I didn't even bother to take my hair out of the knot I had tied it in earlier and I hadn't even bothered to cleanse my face as I sat down next to the Queen, preparing for bed.

"It's nothing for you to worry about, Lucy," I reassured her, trying to force a smile on my face.

She scrutinized my face for a long hard moment before shrugging her shoulders," If you say so."

* * *

That next day went the same as every other day before battle went. We trained all day and tried "strategizing" later on. It had been hard enough for me to stand in the same room as Caspian and Susan before, and that day it was a whole new level of difficulty. Nonetheless, I continued on with my life best as I could.

Instead of staying in the How after we had finished for the day, I noticed that Peter had mounted his horse and was riding down toward the stream in the woods. Finding that I had nothing else to attend to for the day, I had decided that it was my chance to sneak up on him since all these other times; he had snuck up on me.

I rode as quietly as I could in the moonlight and right as I reached him I said," Going for an evening ride?"

He shot his head behind him, obviously startled," Oh- oh yeah," he replied.

I smiled at him," I thought that it was my turn to sneak up on you."

Kingslee strutted up beside his own steed, making it easier for Peter and I to talk," You couldn't have chosen a more perfect time," he told me, but his voice sounded a little unsteady.

"I'm glad that I could book a time with you," I joked with him as our horses trotted along," You're quite the busy man here lately with all these war planning and such."

He tilted his head and looked at me," You're kidding, I hope."

A laugh escaped from my lips," Why of course I am!"

He turned his head away and smiled, but his tone was rather serious," You do have a point though."

"Why's that?" I asked him, my smile disappeared as I could tell this conversation was going to be taking a more serious tone, which was understandable. There had been a lot of pressure as of late.

"Because when you are the leader of an army and you haven't the slightest where your enemy is lurking or just when they are going to attack; it causes a great deal of stress," he admitted to me," I don't know how it's going to go this time around."

This must have really been bothering Peter because I had never heard him be this solemn before, in the time that I had known him. I could only imagine all of the things he had to put up with during the day though with the growing anticipation of battle.

I waited for a moment, preparing my words," You're going to do great. You've fought this type of a battle before and I'm sure that you will do just as great this time as you did last."

He avoided my eyes as he answered," It just bothers me, Rosalie. Last time, I knew that Aslan would help us. I knew that Aslan was there to protect us. I knew it for a fact. This time in Narnia…it hasn't been so simple. I haven't heard a single thing from Aslan. Not one. I don't know where he is and I don't know if he's even out there anymore."

As soon as he mentioned that, I remembered the horse speaking to me and what he had told Edmund and I about Aslan. I thought that perhaps, by mentioning this it would be somewhat reassuring to the King, even though I didn't know for sure what I believed.

"You know that Aslan was the reason that Edmund and I even made it back here alive, don't you?" I asked him quietly as our horses walked over the ridge that led to the stream.

He nodded his head," Edmund explained that to me. He told me all about it," he let out a sigh," That's grand that Aslan has presented himself to you through the horse. It's grand that Lucy claims to have been able to see him, but I have _nothing_ to go off of."

"You're saying that you don't believe because you personally have not seen him?" I asked him, dismounting Kingslee.

He hesitantly nodded his head while he bent down to fill up his canteen. I could only imagine how hard it would be for him. Relying on Aslan, but never seeing him… I didn't even know for sure if he was real, I mean, I had never seen him before.

" I believe in him and all, but," and he trailed off," just sometimes it can be hard. You probably don't want to listen to me complain like this. I'm sorry, we can talk about-"

I bent down and slowly placed a hand on Peter's arm, interrupting him," Peter, no, please allow me to ask you something."

"Yes?" he replied, looking right at me.

"When you believe in something," I began," It means that you are having faith that it will be there. You don't know for a fact that Aslan is there. In fact, all I have is word from this flying horse that Aslan was the one that sent him to our rescue, but take into consideration the lives of all these Narnians fighting for you," I told him, making sure that I was making myself clear.

I didn't know where these words were coming from, but they seemed to be flowing from my heart. I wanted to be there for him and I wanted to be able to provide the same comfort for him that he had done for me.

He watched me intently as I continued speaking," You can't guarantee them that they will win this battle, but look at you. You stand up there every day and you encourage them. You talk to them as if they are going to win. Guaranteed. You're having faith that they are going to win," I said to him. I felt like a mother teaching her young boy a lesson as I continued talking.

"Where are you-?" he tried to interrupt, but I stopped him.

"Listen to me," I commanded," I can't tell you that Aslan is real either, to be honest. I can't tell you for sure that he is there watching…because I don't know, but there is one thing that I can tell you. If you are going to have faith in something, which you have said that you believe in him, don't just have some faith in it, put all of your faith into it. Right before I left that horse, that 'messenger of Aslan'; he told me one thing and do you know what that was?" I asked.

"What?" he whispered.

"To trust my heart," I said, patting my chest where I felt the pound of my heart," Because it's never wrong. You've got to have hope that what you're believing in is going to be there. I'm trusting your word that Aslan came before and I'll continue to trust you, but you can't give up hope."

He swallowed hard before standing back up and placing the cap on his canteen. I stayed kneeled down by the water, feeling as though I had failed in trying to encourage him. He didn't say another word to me for quite some time and I thought that perhaps he had left because it had grown so quiet.

I soon saw a hand reaching down to help me to my feet. When I took the hand and pulled myself up, I found myself face to face with Peter.

There was a silence and my heart was pounding from all that I had just said. I felt my palms starting to become sweaty as I was very close to the Peter and neither he, nor I, seemed to be pulling away anytime soon. And then I felt his hand slowly move up to the side of my face. I wouldn't have let anyone touch me in such a way before, but I did not protest as he looked me right in the eye.

"And what happens when that hope runs thin?" he asked, searching my eyes for an answer.

"Peter," I looked away from him for a moment," If you don't have hope then you may as well give up the cause. I have to have hope every single day that my sister and mother will return to me, when really I am scared to death that I will never see them again, but if I give up that hope that they are alive, then I may as well take my own life because I would never be able to live with myself knowing that I had left them to die."

I had never seen this side of the King before. He had been so strong and caring for me before, but I was now seeing a more vulnerable side of him. I could see where he could feel this from, but I guess I had never really gotten the chance to talk to him alone about all of this.

Peter continued to reveal many different sides of himself to me.

I placed my hand on top of his to be a comfort and smiled up at him, but the moment was soon cut short.

A scream pierced through the night air. The same scream that had desperately called for me to come back to her before. Penelope.

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait guys. I hope you liked this chapter and I hope that everything still makes sense. In the next couple chapters, we're going to hear more from those Telmarines again-so stay tuned because we've got a battle coming up! Thanks for all the reviewers thus far. :)**


	14. A New Sort of Hatred

Chapter Fourteen: A New Sort of Hatred

"That was Penelope!" I cried as I ran toward Kingslee, parked by the stream. I mounted quickly, almost forgetting that Peter was with me and solely focused on reaching my sister.

I started upstream fast and soon heard Peter's voice cautioning me.

"You're sure this is her?" he asked me, cautiously as we crossed over the ridge. Several tents could be seen up ahead. There was clearly some sort of a camp set up.

I looked back at him," I know my sister's scream, Peter," I said to him simply as we pushed forward.

"Alright, I know you want to help her and all, but-" I slowed to a stop and looked at him sideways," You can't do anything…_rash_."

I raised a brow at him. I knew that I was prone to being rash, but he wasn't exactly the most careful either," And you?"

He chuckled," Don't worry."

After we crossed over the ridge, we dismounted our horses as we snuck toward the encampment that had been built in the middle of those woods. I had rode out on that trail a couple evenings before and there wasn't a sign of a camp. Now, there was a full colony of tents and horses and men everywhere. Apparently, the Telmarines had been traveling over the last few days which would explain why we had not yet been attacked by them.

Peter and I slowly crept quietly toward the camp and hid ourselves behind the bushes a safe distance away from sight.

I couldn't have pinpointed exactly what caused Penelope to scream, but as I sat in the bushes I knew immediately that it was the Telmarines. The way they pranced around the camp in their shining armor. I was rather hoping that it was merely one of our mentaurs she had encountered and screamed at the initial sight of him, but that was clearly not the case. When we had first seen the camp, something in my gut had told me Telmarines, but now I knew for certain.

"I can't believe they're already this close," Peter mumbled as we looked for any sign of my sister or mother," You think they've been here for long?"

I shook my head," If they had been here for long, then they would have already attacked us."

He nodded his head in agreement.

My eyes continued to scan the camp before I saw a struggling figure over by the largest tent which I could assume to be Miraz's. I crawled behind more bushes in order to get closer. Peter was close on my tail as we sat behind to listen.

"Let me go!" I heard my sister's voice squeal, through the branches I could see her being lifted off the ground, her legs and arms flailing.

"Shut up!" a gruff voice growled at her," Do you want the same thing to happen to you that happened to your mother?"

My heart almost stopped, wondering just what he could be referring to.

Penelope continued to flail, despite his threats. She didn't stand a chance against the large, burly man.

"Take her out of here!" another voice called from inside the tent," We're trying to do _business_."

My mind raced with all sorts of "business" that they could possibly be up to, but I pushed the thoughts out of my head as I watched the brawny Telmarine drag my sister. He pulled her out of the tent and nailed her hard against a nearby tree. I could almost feel the impact from where I watched.

"What do you not understand about 'shut up'?" he growled, this time more fiercely as he pinned her against the hard tree.

Every part of me wanted to grab my dagger and take care of the man right there.

Just as I thought it, I felt a tug at my belt as Peter slipped his fingers onto my dagger and briskly pulled it out of its holder at my waist. I shot him a death glare and he only put a finger on my mouth in order to silence me. I wanted to fight it, but his eyes pleaded me to stay where I was. I reluctantly stayed hidden in the bushes as he started to creep up out of hiding, placing himself in the wide open.

I held my breath as Peter stood up slowly out of the bushes and behind the man who had my sister pinned against the tree. He crept his way behind the man and lifted the dagger. My eyes widened as I watched him bring down the butt of the dagger, but before the knife could meet the man's skull, there was an interruption. It was going much too smoothly.

"Oy!" a voice called from behind Peter, back in the camp," What do you think you're doing?"

Quicker than lighting, the men came storming through the camp toward Peter. It was as if we had just set off the intruder alarm. The man holding Penelope dropped her harshly to the ground as he turned around to see what the matter. I bounded out of the bushes to aid my sister, not caring who saw me or tried to attack me.

"Rosalie!" Penelope cried as she picked herself up from the ground and came sprinting toward me. I met her halfway and quickly embraced her.

"What are you doing?" another man yelled to the soldier that had just dropped Penelope," Grab them!"

Peter's eyes shot to mine as the men starting crowding around him," Get out of here!"

"Peter-" I tried arguing, but he cut me off.

"They can't follow us, go! Please," he called, begging me to leave him.

He was right…the soldiers at the How needed time to prepare for an attack. I had to respect him, yet again, for putting his people before himself.

I started to pull Penelope toward the horses, but I watched as Peter continued fighting off the men. I wanted to help him so bad, but in the side of my eye, I could see the burly man coming toward us once more. My heart wanted to stay with him, fearing that if I left him I would be placing his life in danger...which was the last thing I wanted to do. I felt Peter's eyes on me once more, begging me to go and as a piece of my heart fell from my body, I pulled Penelope along to the horses.

We ran quickly away from the man, who was rather large and once we reached the horses; he would not be able to keep up. Penelope quickly cambered onto Peter's horse as I mounted Kingslee. I kicked Kingslee once, but couldn't help looking back one last time before we rode off into the woods. Penelope had kicked her horse as well, but stopped as I stopped to look back.

He wanted to stay in order to protect his people, the time he had done it before for me, he had gotten away safely…the same could not be said this time.

As Kingslee carried me off into the night, I watched them destroy him. I watched them beat him. I watched them take the small weapon he had. He was not dead, but he had taken a very hard knock to the head. I couldn't help but let my eyes fill with tears as Kingslee ran alongside Penelope's horse into the night.

"Rosalie?" my sister tried as we journeyed back. I don't know how many times she tried getting me to talk, but all I could seem to do was mentally press replay over and over again of Peter being brutally beaten.

* * *

We walked into the Tomb room, the only person appearing to still be awake was Caspian. The atmosphere when I was in the room with him was normally tense and very awkward, but Penelope lightened the mood greatly. I almost forgot that I was upset with him as I watched their embrace. Penelope had probably asked me plenty of questions as we entered the How, but I was in no shape ready to answer any of them. My mind was still drifting elsewhere.

"Caspian!" my sister squealed, after we had once again reached the How, much later that evening.

Penelope ran across the room and embraced Caspian hard. He enveloped her in his arms as he picked her up and spun her around, planting a kiss on her cheek. Both of their faces were very joyful. Caspian had the largest smile on his face that I had seen in a long time. I had forgotten that Caspian had practically been a brother to my sister as well and that it had been quite some time since she last had seen him.

"Penelope, you have grown so much!" he exclaimed as he let her out of his embrace.

"Caspian, it has been so long!" she cried, tears of joy almost coming to her eyes," They've been telling me you are dead for so long, now."

He smiled as he tucked a stray hair behind her ear," Well, I am still here."

"Thank goodness," she replied as she turned away from the prince.

For the first time in days, Caspian looked up at me and took a couple of steps toward me. He gave me a polite nod before continuing on.

"Where did you find her?" he asked after clearing his throat nervously. He was being very tentative.

I swallowed as well as I wrung my hands, anxiously," The Telmarines. I-I was going on a ride with Peter in the woods and we happened to hear a scream. We traveled upstream and, sure enough, there was the whole Telmarine camp. Less than an hour's ride from here," I answered him, trying to sound as cordial as I could.

"How long do you suppose they've been there?" he asked as he leaned against the stone table; he placed a hand on his forehead in contemplation. Hearing that the Telmarines were close, immediately lessened his ease.

"I can't imagine for much longer than a day or so. Had they been there for any longer we would have already heard from them," I explained to him, taking a seat on a larger rock in the corner.

"Seems logical. It can't be long before they strike...I just wish we had more time," he said with a sigh before raising his head to ask another question," Where is the High King?"

My heart stopped at the mention of Peter. A replay of Peter falling at the hands of the Telmarines came to my thoughts. An immense amount of guilt rushed through me and I guess Caspian could tell my answer by the expression on my face.

I sighed and he cut me off.

"Please don't say it…" he grumbled as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"They've got him and mother, Caspian," I said to him, quietly.

The conversation between Caspian and I had flowed easier than I predicted our first one to go. Now, granted, this conversation was more of a professional tone and on matters more than that of personal matters, but it was more than what we started with. Both of us needed Peter, in some way. As much as it bothered Caspian, in order to run the army, he needed him and I needed him, well, emotionally, I guess.

"They've got her again?" he asked me, hoping that it wasn't true. Mother was another factor that connected Caspian and myself. She was like a mother to him as well.

I nodded my head. The mention of mother made me wonder once again just what they might've done to her. I hadn't a clear vision of what had happened, but I could assume something did because of how the man warned Penelope.

"From what I heard," I said.

Caspian turned his attention from me to Penelope, who had now planted herself atop of the split table where Queen Lucy usually sat. I stepped closer to the table to hear what he had to say to her.

"When did you meet up with the Telmarines?" he questioned her.

She looked up to the ceiling, contemplating her thoughts," Just yesterday," she replied," We had been traveling non-stop for quite some time and mother needed to take a break. She really wasn't in any state to be traveling, but she was better traveling than staying there."

Caspian nodded his head," Yes, Edmund has informed me of much of this. Did you stumble upon the camp just yesterday or did they attack you?"

"I would predict that we were quite a bit away from their camp," she told us," I wouldn't know for sure because one moment we were crossing the river and the next everything sort of faded and went dark. It was night time and the last thing I saw before being knocked out was the soldier's boots as I fell to the water below."

"And you woke up in the camp?" I asked her, folding my arms over my chest.

Anger was prevalent throughout my body, but I had been so bitter toward the Telmarines for so long that I was just glad that my sister was safe now. My main worry now was of my mother and Peter.

She nodded her head," Yes, mother and I were bound together in one of the tents. I had a nasty headache when I woke up and after a few moments, someone pulled me to my feet after cutting the ropes loose. Father and King Miraz entered into the room, I was still a little confused. All I remember is trying to fight my way free, but soon being escorted out of the room. Escorted being an understatement. They treated me horribly, I'll have bruises for weeks. When you heard me scream, it was one of the first times they had me unsupervised. They kept mother in the room and I haven't seen her since then, Rosalie," her voice sounded quite strong when she started, but I could tell a slight deterioration in her confidence as she continued.

The last words hung with me. It was only yesterday and I'm sure that she was still somewhere hidden in that camp. In their clutches. At least, I hopped that was what Rosalie was hinting at. Surely...she could not be hinting something...worse.

However, I was wrong. I was more than wrong. I looked right at Penelope and a sudden sadness came to her eyes. Tears started falling out of her eyes as she pulled her legs tight to her chest," Do you know what I'm telling you, Rosalie?"

Everything hit me at once. Tears flooded from my eyes as I ran toward my sister to embrace her.

"They kept me close, Rosalie," she sobbed into my shoulder," As they were escorting me away, I looked back and saw them holding her. I could see through the thin barrier them hold the dagger to her knife. I watched her fall to the ground…lifeless," she wailed," I watched the shadows and knew it was her! I knew it was!"

Tears fell from my eyes as I held my sister close. She was the last of my family that I had left and I was never going to lose her. I felt her tears fall onto my light dress, but I did not mind. My tears were soaking her own clothes as well. When I looked up, I noticed Caspian watching us, awkwardly. I could tell that he was in shock, but his emotions were hard to read. He looked like a mix of anger and sadness. For that moment, I forgot about my anger toward him as I watched tears fall from his eyes.

I was then orphan.

* * *

We stayed up most of the evening talking and crying. Caspian tried to offer as much comfort as he could, but none of us could seem to say anything to one another. We could hardly even look at each other without bursting into tears once again.

Mother had never done anything wrong. She hadn't ever done anything that made her deserve to be killed. She was such a sweet and tender woman. There was no reason that she be murdered. She had only done what was right…

I was bloodthirsty. I wanted my revenge and I wanted it right then as I sat in the corner of the Tomb room, tears still streaming down my face. I wanted them to come and face me again. I wanted this war to happen right now so that we could destroy them once and for all. Perhaps I was being too confident, but pain masks all sense of knowing, seemingly. All I wanted was for them to give up Peter and to pay for what they did to my mother. Was that so much to ask for?

Was it not enough that my family had turned against me? Was it not enough that I had lost my closest friend? Who was it that kept on torturing me? Why was all of this happening to me? I wanted to stay curled up forever. I wanted to stay secluded away from every thing. I wanted to mope and cry and sob.

Reality was soon to strike again, however.

I could only imagine what Queen Susan and Reepicheep felt early the next morning as they came running into the Tomb room.

"Caspian! We've got-" the little mouse cried, looking all around for Caspian," Where is he?"

Caspian looked up from his place on the ground, we had all migrated away from one another to our own places of solitude. His eyes looked heavy from lack of sleep and sorrow," Yes, Reepicheep?"

The mouse gasped," Why, your honor! What has happened?"

Caspian tried his hardest to pull himself up without looking very forlorn. Unfortunately, he did not succeed, but Reepicheep disregarded it," Nothing to worry about, Reepicheep."

"Caspian?" Susan started, but he shot her a glance that begged that she not push any further.

I pulled myself up off the ground as well and wiped away a stray tear.

"Your honor, we've tracked a group of Telmarine soldiers coming toward the How. They're carrying a white flag, sir," the mouse reported.

Susan stepped into the conversation," We think they've brought Peter with them, from what we can see."

Without looking at any of them, I started toward the exit. This was the perfect opportunity, get rid of them right there. Let their families feel the pain that I had felt, it might not have been fare, but at the time it felt like the best plan. They were marching themselves right up to us. It was too perfect of a chance for me to pass up. I was mourning, yes, but what I wanted more than to mourn was to get my revenge. They were like my own personal present sent to me from above. I could have just gone out there right there and had them killed and then had Peter returned. Everything that I desired sat a few hundred yards (as well as some walls) away from me. Talk about tempting.

"Rosalie!" my younger sister called, bounding off from her perch and stopping my one-person rage," You can't just prance out there!"

I wish I could have.

"And why not?" I yelled back at her, sounding harsher than I would have liked," Look at what they've done to us, Penelope!-"

"And just what are you going to do about it?" she spat at me," You think you can take them on? They would crush you, Rosalie."

Her words stung, but they did ring true. She had a point and even as I stared at her, hard. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked back at Caspian, who still wore a somber look on his face.

"She is right, Rosalie," he said softly as he started walking forward. He looked at Susan," Gather the archers and have them ready to strike if anything goes wrong while we go out to meet them. Don't let them see you, but watch casually from the overlook; you will know if anything goes wrong."

"Let me come along, they've got my brother, Caspian," Susan pleaded with the prince, but he shook his head," Perhaps, let them come in here?"

"Susan," he looked right at her," Please, for the security of us all. Can you please do this? I do not want to lead them in here…it would be much too risky."

Her blue eyes looked attentively into his. She yearned for action, just like I did, but she nodded her head. She reluctantly sauntered out of the room to gather the archers, as Caspian had ordered. Caspian then turned his attention to Reepicheep," And you, will you keep a watch out as well? Get a troop ready to strike, if necessary."

"Of course, your honor," the mouse said and with one last bow, he was off to gather the troops.

It was then the three of us. The three Telmarines who fought for Narnia leaving to negotiate with the Telmarines who fought against the Telmarines. We started our journey to the field where the Telmarines waited for us. Just as we reached the doors that led the to the field, I stopped and turned my attention to Penelope. There was no way I would allow her to come along.

"I want you to stay here," I told her, sounding like a mother.

She furrowed her brows and crossed her arms," Why? Rosalie…"

"Listen to me," I pleaded," They've already captured you once and almost killed you too. I don't want anything to happen to you. You're only thirteen, Penelope. Don't forget that. I know you've received a lot of respect as of late for all of your wisdom, but as your sister I have to protect you."

I could tell that an argument was building," Rosalie! This isn't-"

"Penelope," Caspian's voice spoke," Your sister is right."

I never thought I would have heard those words from his mouth again. Naturally, I shot him a confused look.

Penelope looked between the two of us and shook her head," Why are you two being like this?"

Caspian took a step to where he came face to face with her, he placed a hand on her shoulder," Please, just trust us."

She crossed her arms tight over her chest as she took a step backward, away from him. King Edmund had now come into the room and appeared beside her," Fine," she pouted.

"Make sure she stays," I commanded Edmund, who gave me an approving nod.

And with one last look to one another, Caspian and I continued walking to meet the enemy. I wanted them dead. Every. Single. One.

**Author's Note: Alright, so here it is! I can promise you one, long chapter every Friday, as of now :) Perhaps another later on in the weekend, right now it is just hard to post during the week. Anyways, have I mentioned that I love your feedback? Thanks to all who have! You've really been great so far.**

**I thought that this chapter had a little action at the beginning and then became dramatic toward the end. The next chapter will start out a little drama-filled, but by the end of the next chapter...we've come to the battle, which means lots of action! Keep reading!  
**


	15. Healing

**Author's Note: Thanks to the blizzard I've been writing a lot over the last couple days!**

**I own nothing, it's all C.S. Lewis's.**

Chapter Fifteen: Healing

Walking the distance between the How and where the group of Telmarine soldiers stood was once of the most difficult walks of my life. As soon as Caspian and I exited the How, we could see the men, holding a white flag. My insides turned as I saw the face of my father standing at the stone pillars in the field in front of the How. They appeared to be laughing from what I could tell. It sickened me to watch them standing there, having a grand time. Did they not care about anything they had done? How could someone so sick…so evil…live with themselves?

I quickened my pace as we got closer and felt Caspian grab my arm. His touch almost made me jump. I shot him an incredulous look as we came close to the men.

"Don't do anything you might regret, Rosalie," he whispered to me, his eyes soft.

After looking at him for a long hard, moment, I replied with a sigh," I won't," I knew he was right, but I just didn't want to admit it.

"Let me try and talk with them. Do you understand?" he asked me, still tightening his grip on my arm.

I shook my arm loose," Fine," I replied simply.

We were soon standing directly across from the men who wore smiles on their faces. I didn't want to keep my promise with Caspian. I really didn't. I wanted to run at them right there and attack them all, but I soon realized that I was weaponless. I also didn't want to remain silent, but again, as much as it pained me, he was still right. What could I have done or said that would have changed the situation?

"Nice of you to join us," my father greeted us, crossing his arms over his chest," This is quite the operation you've got running here, son."

I watched Caspian's face. I could tell by the way he was gritting his teeth that it was taking everything within him not to disregard the flag they held and kill them all.

"Don't call me son," he snarled at him.

My father released another laugh," As you wish. Now, I think we've got a deal worked out that you might be interested in."

Caspian, still boiling with anger replied," And what could that be?"

General Glozelle stood beside my father and I noticed that there was a rather large group of soldiers standing behind him. They were obviously prepared if we tried to break the truce. I could also see some Telmarines spread out along the tree line watching us; they really must have been quite paranoid. Then again, we had a whole troop watching from the How.

"Well," my father started again," I think you and I can both agree that your numbers are no where close to comparing to what our army has in store for you. Even years of training could not prepare you for battle with us, if you want to go that far. King Miraz and I want to make a trade."

I raised an eyebrow as I folded my arms over my chest. There had to be some sort of catch to this.

My father perceived the silence as an invitation for him to continue," I have your precious High King. He's actually been able to make the journey with us, come along men bring him forward," he looked back to the soldiers.

Some of the armored men pulled forward a limp body. I gasped as I looked into the beaten eyes of High King Peter. His armor that he had worn on our evening ride was ripped horribly. I could see the blood seeping through his clothing and dripping down the side of his face. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This ,at least, proved my greatest fear of him being dead to be wrong. It was hardly better than being dead, however.

"You can have your High King back," he spat at us as the men threw him harshly onto the ground," We're of no use of him. There is, however, something else that I desire."

I couldn't help running to assist the poor boy lying face down, too weak to pull himself up, on the hard ground. I burst forward and then I slipped my arm under his beaten body as I slowly pulled him to his feet. Almost all of his weight fell upon me, causing me to stumble. I knew that I had broken the promise I had made with Caspian, but I found this to be an understandable case. I couldn't bear to see him there, dying.

I met Caspian's dark eyes as I began pulling Peter away from the men.

"Looks as though someone was worried about her king, hmm?" I heard my father's voice call from behind me. All of my muscles were tightening. All of me wanting to run back and finish him…but I couldn't. I didn't want to test Caspian for one, I was weaponless for two, and all of Peter's body weight prevented me from doing much more than just walking.

"Take him inside, clean him up," Caspian whispered to me as I passed by him, secretly fuming.

I nodded my head as I pulled along the King's dead weight," I'm so sorry, Peter. This is all my fault," I whispered to him softly as we continued back toward the How. I was proud that I hadn't said a word to my father.

"You…don't…apologize-" Peter breathed heavily, his words broken.

That soon changed.

"You know it could have been avoided, Rosalie!" my father called from behind me, once more and I still kept walking trying to avoid him," Had you just stayed home like a good daughter. This pain could have been avoided, mother…Peter…"

My heart started racing as he continued speaking. I couldn't stand it any longer. I turned as quickly as I could without paining Peter, anger spilled out of me.

"You expected me to go along with _you_?" I yelled at him," You expected me to just live with you, you lying, deceiving, murderer? Even if you are my father, I could never try and justify your actions as you would have me do! This, father, is not my fault. It is solely _yours_," I hissed through my teeth at him.

Caspian shot me a shocked look," Rosalie, go take care of Peter."

I wanted so badly to stand there and scream at my father, but I looked from my father's face, which was now suddenly angered, to Caspian's, who was shocked, and to Peter's, who was just fighting to keep a steady breath. I couldn't risk Peter's life any further so without further adieu, I continued on my path. Lord Sopespian might have said some more words, but I muted them. Let him tell Caspian his deal and then get out before I killed him myself.

* * *

"I need bandages, water, and any type of soothing salves you can manage to gather!" I yelled at the Narnians gathered inside the How. I soon found that many of them started running around frantically at the sight of the High King, so weak and defenseless. I carried Peter into a cleared room in the back of one of the tunnels

"Rosalie!" I heard Susan's voice call from the entry way to the over look," You need any assistance?"

I looked at the Queen, who's eyes looked filled with concern, I could only imagine her concern for her brother.

I shook my head," Keep your eyes on those Telmarines! I don't trust them at all."

She gave me a nod before returning to her post. I continued to dragging her brother along. On my tail was plenty of centaurs and other creatures carrying all sorts of medical supplies.

"Do we have a blanket or something in there that we can put him on?" I asked to all of them as we continued into the room they were leading me to.

"Yes, we've prepared it," one of the female centaurs assured me as we entered into the room.

I noticed the soft pile of blankets in the middle of the room and tenderly placed the High King down. After placing him on his back, I knelt beside him.

The room felt very crowded as many of the creatures wanted to partake in assistance the High King. At first, I felt that it was fine for them to be in there, but soon I felt all of their breath breathing down my neck. Peter was hardly able to even speak and kept his eyes shut for most of the time. After several moments of being crowded in, I finally announced.

"Listen!" I cried," I really do appreciate all of your support for the High King and he does as well, but please as of right now, unless you are a family member of the King, clear the room. You will be able to see him as soon as he is well."

A chatter went through the room as they all stared at me. I'm sure some of them were rather angry, but within moments I found that it was only Peter and I in the room. I could expect that within minutes other Pevensies would be entering. I sighed as I looked around at all of the supplies and then at Peter. His poor body looked as though it had already been through a battle on its own. I looked all along his midsection, where there appeared to be gashes all up and down it. One in particular, looked rather deep. I hadn't the slightest what they had done to him…but it was a miracle he was still alive.

"Rosalie," I heard his voice whisper.

I jumped at the sound of it and looked at his blue eyes which were just now fluttering open.

"Yes-yes Peter?" I stuttered, grabbing the bowl of water from behind me on the ground.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-" he tried explaining himself, but it was I who was placing my finger on his lips to silence him.

"Please, don't apologize," I whispered to him as I soaked rags that the Narnians had brought in, in the tub of water.

I knew that in order for me to cleanse the wounds properly, I needed to get the armor off of him. My fingers immediately began working on the fastenings of the armor. I quickly slipped the knots holding them together, careful not to prod any of the wounds with my fingers. After successfully unfastening the armor, I carefully had him sit up in order to pull it off of his midsection.

I returned to the, now soaked, rags and placed them delicately over the wounds, washing away the blood.

I heard a small cry of pain come from him mouth and his hands curl up into fists at his side. It was painful for even just water to touch the wounds.

"I'm sorry," I told him softly, trying to be as gentle as possible.

Just as I started to cleans the wounds, Queen Lucy came running into the room. Her face looked terrified as she saw her wounded brother. She sprinted to him and collapsed by his side.

"Lucy," Peter said, trying to force a smile as he placed a hand on his sister's.

"Oh Peter!" she responded, squeezing his hand tightly," What did they do to you?"

He shook his head, not wanting to upset her obviously," It's nothing worth repeating."

Then, without another word, she pulled a small vile from her belt at her small waist. She titled the bottle over her brother's mouth and dropped, one single drop into his mouth. I couldn't believe my eyes as I saw the wounds as deep and gory as they were, disappear. The flesh seemed to be growing back over…magically. I dropped the rags into the bloodied water, amazed when Peter was pulling himself up.

"Lucy…what just happened?" I asked, never feeling more confused in all my life.

I looked up at the two siblings who seemed to be chuckling at me. Of course they would, they knew exactly what was going on.

" It's a magic cordial, I don't really know how to explain it…" she told me, examining the bottle.

"The first time we came to Narnia, Father Christmas gave it to Lucy," Peter helped his sister to explain, obviously more strengthened as he sat himself up.

"Father Christmas?" I asked," He was one figure that I thought for sure was fake."

The two of them smiled at me. Peter, surprisingly, was already standing on his feet as Lucy opened the small pack she work at her side. She pulled out a thin white tunic and handed it to her bare-chested brother," This is all they could give me right now. They're still finding you some new," she picked up the bloodied armor, disgusted" Clean, armor. For right now, you've got to stay out of trouble."

Peter unfolded the tunic and slid it over his head," I think I can manage that," he replied with a smirk.

Lucy looked at her brother once before embracing him tightly," Don't scare us anymore like that, Peter, please," she whispered to him.

I couldn't help but feel a ping of guilt. Had I not left him…none of this would have happened. I couldn't help, but think that maybe I could have done something, anything. He could have very well been killed because of my father and the Telmarines. Because of my people…even if he was doing it for his people-the thoughts were rushing through my head.

"I can't make any promises Lu," he told her quietly as he bent down to her level," But I'll always be with you, right here," he said tapping his finger to her chest.

The love between the two siblings was so sweet and caring.

A smile came to her lips and she hugged her brother one last time before looking to me and then back to her brother," I'll leave you two alone now," she said, running to the exit of the room, she looked back one last time before exiting with a smile on her face.

Peter let out a sigh before taking a few steps closer to where I stood. I met his eyes, trying to find what I wanted to say to him," You could've been killed," I whispered shooting my eyes away from his.

"But I wasn't," he replied, looking right back at me," Look at me, I'm still here. Breathing and all."

My lips turned upward into a smirk," That doesn't eliminate the risk that there was."

"That doesn't matter," he said, placing himself right in front of me," What does matter, is that I'm here now."

When I looked away from him yet again, he let out a small sigh and said to me, trying to be a comfort," You've heard about your mother?"

It amazed me how he was able to read me. Read my thoughts, exactly.

Tears filled my eyes as I looked at him again and nodded my head. Looking at him, seeing him injured before made me think about my faults and how I messed up. Looking at him, reminded me of leaving my mother. I shouldn't have ever left her. I should have brought her along with Edmund and I back at the castle.

"I was only able to speak with your mother briefly before, you know," he told me, placing a hand under my chin, forcing me to look right at him," She was so proud of you, Rosalie. She couldn't be more proud of you for standing up for yourself. I know that this hard for you-"

I couldn't stand it anymore. I didn't know for sure what to do, but what my body did was collapse into Peter. I felt his arms envelop me and one of his hands comfortingly rub my back. Tears fell out of my eyes onto the white tunic, I'm sure that I was soaking his shirt, but I couldn't help it. I was a mess. An absolute mess.

"There, there," he said softly.

"I don't think I could ever forgive myself… for everything," I balled," For my mother, for my sister, for you, and for…_Caspian_. I've ruined my own life. Along with all of you."

There was a silence and all I could feel was the warmth of Peter's embrace and the rhythm of his hand running up and down my back. My tears were slowing, but the guilt was only building inside of me.

"Please, look at me, Rosalie," he whispered.

Reluctantly, I pulled my face off of his, now soaked, tunic. I found myself once again face to face with the High King. I remembered the first time I saw the King, in the woods. Out of defense for Caspian, I ran at the King with my sword and swung wildly. Even at that moment, something attracted me to this young man. I just would not allow myself to believe it. The first time I was face to face with the King, I was boiling angry with him and struck him across the face. I had regretted that act since the next meeting the King at the overlook where he provided me with comfort. In the woods, it was I comforting the King before he was taken captive by the Telmarines. Now, we were once again standing face to face.

I could hardly stand it any longer. The attraction that I, at first, did not allow myself to show, was now strong. My heart seemed to be beating out of my chest as he placed his hand on my cheek, replicating the night that we stood in the woods.

"We're going to get through this," he assured me," We're going to fight the Telmarines, and things will go back to normal for you. There's not a person in this whole building that wouldn't be willing to fight against those evil men. They will get what they deserve," he whispered to last part to where it was barely audible," I'll be here with you to help you cope…I know it's hard. And if anything...you've strengthened all of us...not destroyed us. Your mother couldn't stop bragging on how much you taught her and I only spoke with her briefly."

It was a bold thing for him to say. The statement only seemed to fuel the attraction more because as soon as the words left his mouth and entered my ears, I interrupted him. Not with a strike this time, but by pressing my lips softly to his. I couldn't bear to have him gone again, not being with him made me nervous. I wanted to stay there in his embrace. I wanted all of this to be erased. Feeling his lips on mine sent a warmness through my whole body. I briefly forgot about everything around me…perhaps being in his presence was all that I needed. Had I the option to run away from it all right there with him, I would have.

Softly and very softly, I heard a whisper outside of the room. I could have been dreaming. Then there was another voice, one of them whispering a small," Yes!"

And then, reality hit again.

Immediately, Peter and I broke apart as my cheeks turned a bright shade of red," Please tell me that I'm only imagining hearing voices."

"I heard it too," he responded, I noticed his cheeks were rather flush as well," And I think I know just who it is."

The High King crossed his arms and chuckled slightly before calling out," Lucy, you can come out now."

The youngest Pevensie revealed herself, smiling a big smile at us. With an embarrassed chuckle, she answered," Sorry."

A couple moments later, Edmund and my sister, Penelope revealed themselves with small embarrassed smiles. All I could seem to manage to do was laugh as my cheeks only continued to become redder.

I was in love with the High King.

**Alright, so there it is! I really enjoyed writing this chapter...I originally had a different plan for this chapter, but I came up with this idea and couldn't resist. Hope you guys liked it! Let me know :)**


	16. From One Sister to Another

**Author's Note: I own nothing :)**

Chapter Sixteen: From One Sister to Another

Well after the awkwardness had died out and we had gone back to living somewhat of our normal lives inside the How once more, I found Penelope had made her way into the quarters where Lucy, Susan, and I slept. She had perched herself in the middle of the enclosure.

"Done more exploring, have you?" I asked her as she shot her head up at me.

A smile appeared on her face," You could say that. I can't believe this is where Aslan was killed and then resurrected. It's just so surreal to me."

"I think that would be appropriate to say," I answered with a smirk," It is the proof that our storybooks that were forbidden back home…really are true."

"I always knew they were," she told me and smiled with a smile that made me think of her childhood when she was a baby sitting at the edge of the bed and pretending to be Aslan.

"Have you found anything else exciting?" I asked, after the pause in the conversation.

"Not particularly," she replied," Mostly all I can seem to find are tunnels and more tunnels that would take me years to walk all the way through."

I laughed. She sounded so much older than what she actually was; she looked it too. I still couldn't believe the young lady that had developed out of my thirteen year old sister. Her eyes, still tinted green met my own. Her dark brown hair, identical to my own, was strewn about wildly, but her tan face still shone.

"Tunnels similar to those that you found under the castle in Telmar?" I asked shooting her a sideways glance.

Her eyes widened as she looked directly at me," Edmund told you about that?"

I nodded my head in affirmation," Edmund told me most of you ingenious plan as to how you were going to break me out of that prison. I have to say that I could hardly believe it whenever I heard it. Mostly because…I didn't realize you did so much exploring."

"Behind the backs of you and Caspian, of course," she explained to me, her cheeks flushing," But, yes, I did manage to discover the tunnels whenever I was younger."

A small giggle escaped from her lips as she looked at me," It's rather fun being devious, you know."

I laughed at this," As long as you stay out of trouble, it can be loads of fun."

We both went into a fit of laughter as we sat there. I would have never guessed that all those years Penelope would have been out exploring the castle as well. I would have thought that she would be locked in the house, obeying mother's orders. To imagine her coming up with all of these plans…to imagine her growing up…was so strange.

When our laughing was over, I changed the topic to another sort.

"I believe that I never apologized for leaving you all without any sort of warning," I finally said, after recollecting my thoughts," I think I owed it to at least tell you what I was planning."

Penelope's dark eyebrows scrunched together," You shouldn't apologize for that."

"But I should," I countered," You were scared and worried out of your mind about me and I can't help but feel guilty-"

I was interrupted by the sound of chuckles coming from her mouth," Rosalie, please. Mother knew what was going on the whole time. Of course, I was scared at first and I was angry, but later that night, as father was searching frantically in the woods…she told us what Doctor Cornelius had planned for Caspian and that she was only waiting on the day when you would go after him."

I raised my own eyebrow at hearing this…mother deserved so much credit for all of this.

"She ensured both Jacob and I that you would go after Caspian no matter who or what tried to stop you," she explained to me, tucking a stray hair behind her ear," And we believed her."

"This was before father found out of Narnia, you say?" I asked her, making sure that I was still following correctly.

She nodded her head," Yes, of course Jacob would believe it then. The next night was when things went wrong…" she trailed off, breaking her gaze with me.

I desperately wanted to know. I knew what father had told them, but I wanted to hear it from her side of the story. I placed a hand on her arm," Please tell me."

She released a sigh," It was the day after you left. Father returned late that morning from searching all night and went straight to his bedchambers. Mother tried to speaking with him for quite some time and sent Jacob and I away for awhile. Whenever the evening came back around, father had dinner with us, but soon left for another meeting. He told mother that he would be back by a certain time, but when we went to speak more of you and just where you went to…he walked in on us. As if he knew all this time, Rosalie."

There wasn't any possible way that he could have known though…was there? I guess I couldn't exactly rule anything out. He was sly. And very sly at that.

"While we sat on mother's bed and she was explaining just who Caspian was, father came storming into the room with a troop of soldiers behind him. He started yelling at mother and us, calling Jacob and I off of the bed. We scurried off, frightened by what had happened."

"Then father explained that it was you who had told him everything…that you had been sick of keeping a secret from him for so long. He argued that he thought you had run away in fear of us not accepting you, but I knew better than to believe such things," Penelope told me quietly as she told the story," And after that…he took mother. It didn't matter if we believed him or not…he was going to take her regardless. It was horrible watching them take her and even more painful the second when they took you."

"Then what happened to Jacob?" I asked, a certain curiosity in my voice as I asked," What happened to his belief in me?"

She didn't answer for a moment. In fact she didn't do hardly anything at the mention of Jacob. I had to recall her after several moments of silence," Penelope?"

"Oh yes," she replied shaking her head and coming out of her gaze," Jacob…he is…scared of father, Rosalie. You know that all he has wanted is to have father be proud of him. He doesn't know what he is doing, Rosalie. I tried convincing him, but he said that father's story only made sense. There was no possible other way that father could find out…I don't know if Jacob believes it himself though. I think it might be that he is too scared of what would happen to him if he didn't agree with father."

I nodded for it only made sense.

"It wasn't that hard sneaking away from Jacob," she explained to me," He knew that I wanted to go running after you, so for awhile he locked me in the study, but it was foolish on his part to leave the door open briefly as he checked on other things. As soon as he left the door open, I was out. I had been mentally preparing for the days that you were in prison and I really should apologize for letting you stay there so long."

I almost laughed at her apology. Not in a mocking way or rude way, but merely because it was ironic that the savior of myself was apologizing for saving me, in a sense.

"Do not apologize," I answered her," It is because of you that I am still alive today. Do you understand?" I asked, looking right into her eyes, demanding an answer.

She looked right at me and said strongly," Yes. I do."

Penelope had been forced to grow up much too soon. She deserved more than this. She deserved more of a childhood than this. I had heard mostly everything that I had desired to hear from her and with the small amount of innocence she had left in mind, I finally made a promise to her.

"I will never make you speak of them again," I told her, making this promise to myself as well," We will never forget what has happened in our past, but we shall live with the fact that Jacob has made wrong choices, but he is still our brother. I could not ask you to relive any more of this plan for I know it pains you, as well as myself, to relieve the betrayal of our family."

She nodded her head with agreement, " I agree."

There was another break in the conversation, but she soon filled it," You know that I tried to save Doctor Cornelius as well."

Doctor Cornelius had almost completely slipped my mind. My tutor, my teacher, and my friend…had it not been for him I would have never escaped. Guilt surged through me as I thought of Doctor Cornelius, probably killed by the Telmarines as well.

"You do not have to tell me," I assured her, quietly.

"No," she answered," He's alright. He left me a letter…I believe that I dropped it in the scurry, but he claimed to have a place where he knew he could go to and not be found. I haven't the slightest where he could be, but Rosalie, he was confident that the would be safe."

Relief rushed through me at the sound of this. I hoped that Doctor Cornelius really had found a safe place to hide because the Telmarines would more than likely kill him had they found him. He had a death sentence on his head just as every other rebellious Narnian creature.

"That is good to hear," I replied with a smile, recollecting on the memories with the old man.

"I thought so," she answered, returning my smile.

We sat in silence for a moment as all of the information said sat in. The story that we had lived in so far replayed throughout my head.

"Things have changed so much, Rosalie," Penelope said as I leaned back, trying to relax for the first time in weeks.

"I know they have," I answered," I know."

"Will they ever go back to the way they were?" she asked me, rolling onto her stomach," You and I running through the courtyard with Caspian chasing us? The adventures we would dream up? Do you ever think that those days will return to us?"

I looked up to the dirt ceiling overhead and examined the roots and holes going throughout it. She proposed a great question that I did not know the answer to. I assumed that those days were long in our past…the days of peace and innocence…yes those were only the days of a child. We were being forced to grow up so soon that I doubted we would ever see such days.

"I cannot answer that for sure," I said to her faintly, running my fingers through my hair," I think that the days of our childhood are over."

She rolled over to her back and looked at the ceiling with me," Will you and Caspian ever become friends again?"

She could have stabbed me with a knife and that would have felt less blunt than those words.

I was shocked by the words that came out of her mouth. She had already been able to pick up on this fact that Caspian and I were not as close as we used to be. I could safely assume that she pieced it together after she had seen Peter and I together as well. The boldness of her question was what surprised me the most. It came out of nowhere, seemingly.

"Penelope, I don't-"

"Rosalie, surely you can forgive him," she interrupted, shooting me a look," I have seen the way you two look at each other now. There is something missing…something wrong."

I didn't know if I could ever fully forgive him. There was a piece deep inside my heart that was still devoted to rebuilding my friendship with Caspian. There was still hope, but the more I was around Peter, the less that hope prevailed. She was right…there was something missing.

"It's hard to say," I sighed," I don't know."

"Perhaps, you should stop focusing so much on the High King and focus more on your first close friend," she told me and the words stung coming from her," You know I saw you kiss him. I heard what you said about Caspian and how you felt bad about all this…I heard everything Rosalie and if I know you then I know that you still love Caspian. Even if you wont admit it."

" Where is this coming from, Penelope? I think it is uncalled for," my mouth dropped open and my body tensed up once more, I felt it was appropriate that I add," I never loved Caspian."

"You lie!" she argued back," It would be a far-fetched lie to say that you never cared for him in such a way. I saw the way the two of you looked at each other and it's still there even today, hidden underneath the lies you have created. I know you Rosalie-"

"Just how well?" I asked, angered by her accusation," You must not know me well enough to know that I have discovered a new love for the High King. He was there for me in times when Caspian was not."

My own words surprised me.

She scoffed this," Oh, Rosalie! Can't you just stop it already? If it weren't for Caspian, I would argue that you wouldn't be here. He's saved you so many other times."

"Penelope, I don't like the way you are treating me! You haven't any right to say such a thing. I don't know what's gotten into you."

"How can you love someone you've barely known, Rosalie?" she fired back," And how can you destroy a friendship over one little act?"

_At the time that this conversation happened, I was so furious with my sister for doubting me that I stood up and stormed out of the room, but now as I sit here looking back on it…I realize that she was right. I would not learn this until later, however._

**Author's Note: Alright, so here's just a little sister to sister bonding time. Thanks to reviewers! Love you! Check out the poll on my profile :) Next chapter will be up tomorrow, for sure! **

**Also, I feel it's necessary that I comment on Doctor Cornelius. I apologize that I have not included him very much into this story. As we learned in this chapter, he has safely gone into hiding for the time being. I know this does not follow the book nor the movie and I apologize for that. It only helps the story flow better.**

**We've got more action coming! Promise!  
**


	17. The Hag and the Werewolf

**Author's Note: I own nothing :)**

Chapter Seventeen: The Hag and the Werewolf

"It's illogical to make this deal, Caspian," a hushed whisper from King Peter broke through the throne room as I entered, fresh out of the argument with my sister. Whenever I entered, Caspian's eyes shot up from Peter's and went straight to my own. Peter noticed his change in focus and looked to where his eyes were. A smile came to Peter's face as he saw me enter into the room. I returned this with a small smile before planting myself on a rock beside Reepicheep.

"What are they talking about?" I asked him quietly as Peter and Caspian continued discussing whatever they were in very quiet whispers.

The mouse's eyes looked right at me, as if fearing what would happen if he answered," I-I don't think I'm allowed to say," he stuttered.

"Reep, c'mon," I prodded with a smile.

He shook his head," I'm sorry, my lady. You will have to speak with His Majesty Peter or Caspian on the matter."

With a small bow of his head, he quickly crawled off the rock and scurried away. I sat, baffled. What could be going on that was so secretive? What could be so important that they would need to keep it from me? I didn't think too much on the matter, however.

"Let's discuss that _later_," Peter said adamantly referring to something," We are all in agreement that Susan and Lucy are to go in search of Aslan? Is that what we have decided?"

I could see that Peter's faith in Aslan had gone up some since the last time I had spoken with him. They were apparently sure of themselves that this was the best plan of action, but I had my own doubts of Aslan. He was the one that saved Edmund and I, but how could we be certain that they would find him?

"I have not heard all of the plans, seeing as I just entered" I chipped in," But are we sure that they can find the Lion? He obviously is not the most common being to come by as of the last few hundred years."

All of the eyes seemed to set on me as I crossed my arms on the rock, allowing my question to settle in the tense air that never really seemed to be anything less than tense due to the war coming soon. Telmarines could already be heard from the inside of the How, their war mechanisms rolling closer by the hour.

"I have seen him," Queen Lucy replied boldly, looking at me seriously," Just days ago."

Peter looked at her before meeting my glance," Only in her dreams. We are sending her to the last place where he came to us."

"Peter," she tried arguing over the dreams, but his glance silenced her.

I nodded my head. I wasn't going to try and argue with them over the matter, it was just still hard for me to have so much faith in a lion we barely knew would come. I hoped that we had some sort of a back up in mind.

After breaking my gaze, Peter turned his head away to his sisters again and asked," You are both in agreement?"

The two of them nodded their heads vigorously," Of course, just say the word and we will go," Lucy told her brother.

He gave her a simple nod before looking back at Caspian," Are you in agreement?"

"Aslan is the only hope we've got, isn't he?" the prince asked, raising an eyebrow," I am in favor of the plan."

"Very well then," Peter replied and with a sigh said," We're only a matter of days away from war. Two or three, at the most. Be safe and try to stay in the How as much as possible. We've no idea what lies in those woods now."

And with that, the few other creatures standing in the room took that as an invitation for them to leave. Wishing that I had been there earlier, I slowly began walking toward Peter who was entering into conversation with one of the centaurs passing. He did, however, meet my eyes briefly before saying," I'll be back soon."

I nodded my head and before I noticed, the room was empty. With the exception of Caspian and myself.

The death of my mother had relieved some of the tension between us, but not much. All of me wanted to pull myself out of the room, but Caspian spoke.

"What do you think of all of this?" he asked, rather boldly.

How is one expected to answer a question such as this? There were so many emotions and opinions running through my head that I found myself taking an extra long pause between the question and my answer.

"I don't know what to say," I started, looking away from him," It would be safe to say that I have mixed emotions on the matter."

My stomach started turning as he stepped closer to me, not particularly ready to discuss all of this with him…if that's where he was going with the matter. I prayed that it was not.

"Fair enough," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders and soon began to exit the room. Relief rushed throughout me like a cool breeze does in the hot, humid summer air.

"You really think they will find Aslan?" I asked suddenly, shooting him a sideways glance as he looked back from his place near the exit of the Tomb, trying to slowly rebuild our casual relationship. Perhaps, talking like this would at least start something.

He slowly turned on his heel and looked at me with a raised brow," You've got doubts as well?"

A sigh escaped my lips," It's hard to have faith in something that is seemingly nonexistent except when he finds appropriate."

There was a silence for a brief moment before he replied," I share the same doubts," he whispered and without another word he had left. So it wasn't the longest conversation...but it was something. It was better than totally ignoring one another. It was better than the harsh stares. It was better than _nothing_. Penelope's words started to resurface in my head about my feelings for Caspian, but as soon as they appeared I fought them. I hadn't the time to dwell on them anyways because as I turned to follow Caspian. I heard his voice mixed in conversation with another.

Easily, I could tell the voice was that of the dwarf, Nikabrik. Curiosity filled me as I hid myself around the edge of the corner, careful to silence my breathing.

" You know that there is _another_ option," the hard voice of the dwarf hissed, trying to persuade Caspian of something," Since the Kings and Queens of Old have failed us all."

I was baffled to this dwarf, Nikibrik. I hadn't ever been particularly fond of the creature, but he couldn't have possibly known something that would be more useful than what the Old Kings and Queens knew. I hardly believed that he would ever betray the Old Kings and Queens.

"What are you suggesting?" the prince replied, his voice wary.

"We can get your throne for you," the dwarf assured him, his raspy voice trying hard," Just come along, you'll see."

And just who was _we_? The more I listened, the less I liked the tone of the conversation. Their footsteps started to grow closer and my heart started beating quickly. Acting on instinct, I ran back into the Stone Table room before hiding myself behind one of the partially degraded columns. It wasn't my best thought, but it would be alright for the moment.

A cold spell was sent through my body as the two entered into the tomb room. I hadn't seen anything as we all sat in here just moments before, but my eyes shot over to the darkness in the room that led out of the room. In the shadows, something lurked. My heart began beating quickly once more. I hadn't any proof, but my gut was telling me that someone else was watching us. Nikabrik said some more words, but my eyes were focused on just what lay hidden beneath the shadows. I kept my body hidden from Caspian and the dwarf, but I would easily be seen by whatever was lurking.

Soon there was silence. The silence was broken by the sound of a sword being drawn and then Caspian calling out," Who's out there?"

It was tempting to stay where I was, but my lips stayed tightly pursed together and my feet flat on the ground.

Then slowly, like a snake slithering ever so slowly out of the damp, comforts of its hole in the ground, this creature that resembled a mangled wolf slowly creeping out of the corner chanting," I am hunger….I am thirst…I can fast one hundred years…and _not_ die…" the voice was eerie and sent another shiver through me. The creature wore a dark cloak that covered its face, but showed just enough that we could easily see the messy, tangled fur and the dark black eyes peering out from underneath.

The creature appeared to be hunched over with thick, ruffled brown fur, and claws that could easily tear apart any prey it set its sight on and continued on," I can fast one hundred years…and not die…I can lie one hundred nights on the ice…and not freeze," the mantra was slow, yet very menacing sounding, yet it was not over," I can drink a river of blood and not burst," the creature growled.

Then a beastly cry came from the jaw," Show me your enemies!"

I peered around the column once more to see a more human-like creature, yet to call it human would be an overstatement. It's skin was pale and scarred heavily, the eyes were dark, and it, like the other creature, was wearing a cape. In fear of being seen, I shot my head back around and steadied my breathing as the other creature began speaking. Remembering mother's stories reminded me that this was more than likely a hag, and the other creature a werewolf. I couldn't remember specific stories, but both were servants of the White Witch at one point.

Just as I thought that, my heart stopped. Surely...surely...they would not be summoning the White Witch.

"You want something destroyed?" the hag's voice questioned, high pitched and witch-like," No one hates better than us," it boasted, the pitch of its voice piercing my ear drums.

Caspian finally spoke, his voice shakier than normal," You can ensure the death of Miraz?"

I could see where Caspian would be willing to be open to other options, but this was not the option we needed. I couldn't exactly show myself at the moment though. Showing myself would probably make the situation worse, so I continued to listen.

"And more," the hag cackled.

"Let the circle be drawn!" the wolf howled and I could slowly see them inching closer to the column where I stood.

I could only imagine what happened between the pillar and myself as I stood with a heavy breath and fast-beating heart. Chants escaped the hag's mouth, words that I could not recognize, and growls spilled out of the mouth of the wolf. I heard Caspian's sword slide back into its sheath as I peered once more around the corner to see them circling the prince. It was almost as if a warning was going off inside my body telling me to stop this, but there was something about the darkness about these creatures that was rather...enchanting. Plus, it would have been very foolish of me just to trot out in the middle of the ceremony.

"Just a drop of blood is all we need," Nikabrik assured him.

I continued to watch stealthily as the chants got faster and the tension in the room increased, my eyes widened as I noticed the sector that hag held in its hands as it chanted once more. It was crystal clear and white. Appearing almost like white, this had to be stopped before Caspian did something that he regretted. Plans began buzzing through my head. Ice exploded out of the epicenter from where the staff struck the dirt ground. It crawled out from the staff and up the walls, freezing over the portrait of Aslan that stood so tall over the room of the Stone Table. The ice appeared thick, like that of glaciers after it had traveled its length up the wall. Crystal clear, perfect, beautiful.

My eyes glanced at Caspian, who was just as in shock as I was from what I could tell.

A woman appeared through the ice, frozen.

The White Witch.

Caspian said the exact words on my heart," This is not what I want."

The three conspirators swarmed around him as he tried to back out of the circle that was drawn around him.

Then she spoke through the ice, her voice muffled, but still unnerving," Just one drop and I am yours, my King."

"No!" Caspian cried out, but the wolf kept a firm grip on him as the hag pulled out a dagger.

I felt my own dagger at my waist. There wasn't any way I would allow this to happen. Slowly, I began creeping out of the darkness. Through the shadows I inched to where I was just behind the hag coming toward Caspian.

"It appears as though we've got company!" The White Witch commented, from her perch at the top of the room.

I swore under my breath as I ran, climbing atop the Stone Table to get a better angle at the Hag. I jumped from the table to take my first swing, but the Hag strategically dodged my blow and hissed at me, "Do not disturb the ceremony!"

I steadied myself after stumbling about. I noticed that Caspian had now been grabbing by the werewolf...if only I could get him out of the circle. I dodged another swing from the Hag before striking it with my dagger, cutting it severely. A squeal came out of the Hag after I struck it. My dagger still was held strong in my hands, my eyes looked over to where Caspian fought against the werewolf struggling.

"Rosalie!" Caspian's voice cried out.

I felt as though the whole battle was in slow motion and all I could hear was his voice...for some reason...Penelope's words came to my head once more. _I saw the way you used to look at him, it's still there today...you still love him_.

"No!" I cried as the werewolf forced Caspian's hand to the White Witch, who was inching her own hand out to his. I did'nt know what I was saying "no" to. Was it the fact that Caspian was in danger...or was it to the words that Penelope had said? Both, perhaps.

"Stop!" a voice cried from behind us just as I swung one last blow to the weakening Hag before our aid arrived.

Between swings, I looked up to see King Peter, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy come running down. Immediately, Nikabrik came running at Peter with his own dagger, but Peter was solely focused on removing Caspian from the circle formed around his feet. Surprisingly, Lucy was able to handle the dwarf on her own with her little dagger. Edmund came over to my side to assure that the Hag was indeed gone. When confident, he ran over to Peter to help with the werewolf that had climbed off of Caspian and onto the stone table, bearing its razor sharp teeth. It jumped to try and tackle Peter, but the High King swiftly moved out of the way. After a small scuffle, Edmund and Peter had nailed the wolf when it was distracted.

With both the Hag and the Wolf gone, I noticed the White Witch still floated over us, watching all that had happened. Peter went to help Caspian up, but as he did the Witch spoke to him while he passed through the ring drawn for Caspian's blood.

"Ahh, Peter darling," the White Witch cooed, still watching intently," Come now, just a drop of blood."

She reached her hand through the ice once more. Peter had no response for her, but only looked into her cold, hard eyes. I didn't know how he would respond, part of me thought that for a moment he was going to recall the witch to life. I knew that he surely wouldn't do it…but the look in his eyes suggested otherwise.

"Peter…I think you'd better think-" I tried, stepping closer to him.

The Witch's glance shot over to me, her eyes bloodthirsty, and hissed," I don't believe this involves _you_."

Then like a flash, the ice burst from behind and the Witch was slowly disappearing. We found a blade come through the other side of the broken ice and Edmund had strategically snuck himself behind and destroyed the Witch. The horror that could have pursued had Peter or Caspian given their blood would have been down right treacherous.

"I'm sure you had it all sorted out," the Just king said and with that his shield was sheathed and he strolled out of the room.

Peter and Caspian looked to each other before looking up at the carving of Aslan on the wall. I looked around where the bodies of the hag, werewolf, and even Nikabrik lie on the ground lifeless. I shouldn't admit that I did not blame them for not trusting a lion that had yet to come roaring in to save us, but still it was discouraging to have to deal with traitors. Soon, Susan arrived at the entrance to check and make sure that all of us were still safe. The bodies of the traitors were soon dragged out by some of the Narnians and after this had been settled, Peter approached me once more.

"Do you have the time to speak with me?" he asked.

I looked straight into his blue eyes, that I could tell wanted badly for me to stay so that we could talk alone. Out of the side of my eye, I could see Caspian standing beside Susan. Susan apparently speaking with him, but he not with her. His eyes stared at Peter and I as we spoke softly.

"I want to tell you what's going on," he muttered to me as he started motioning for us to leave.

I looked from Peter to Caspian, who's eyes were still watching. Hungry for information, I turned away from him and started walking with the High King. Penelope's words still floating in the back of my head...which I didn't understand because I knew they were not true.

"The Telmarines have offered us a deal," Peter told me quietly as we walked through the tunnels.

I remembered my father saying something of an offer, but I hadn't heard any more of it since then. Mostly because I had spent my day tending to Peter and speaking with my sister.

"They spoke of it earlier, but I hadn't the time to think of it much," I answered.

"Well," he sighed, looking away," It wasn't exactly reasonable."

"One could only assume so much," I replied with a smirk.

He returned the grin as he continued on," Do you want to know what your father requested?"

Peter's question ran through my head as I thought on it. I could only imagine the plan that my father had schemed up alongside King Miraz. Deep inside I really wanted to know what he had up his sleeve, but part of me didn't want to know as well, scared of what the outcome may be.

"Tell me," I answered as we continued walking.

"Well," The High King started," According to the King's decree both you and Caspian are criminals of Telmar."

I rolled my eyes as he said this, but he kept talking, nonetheless.

" Your father basically told Caspian that he wants the both of you behind bars. He also claimed that he thinks we are in over our heads and need to rethink fighting a war against them," he explained to me," He offered that if either you or Caspian were to turn themselves in, then this whole war could be avoided and we could live in peace."

"That's unreasonable," I said, almost cutting him off," Don't they know that we do not desire to live in peace with them? I would not hold them to their word anyways."

Peter nodded his head," One would think so," he said with a sigh.

"Then why would they offer it?" I asked.

"I think they underestimate us, but I honestly do not fully understand the ways of the Telmarines," he told me.

There was a silence for a moment before I asked another question," Then how are we to answer them?"

"No to that, of course," he said, assuring me," But there is something that we have decided on."

My eyes shot over to his. This must have been what they were discussing before I entered the picture. I had a feeling in my stomach that this was not going to be the best of plans.

"Caspian suggested that we challenge Miraz to a duel to the death. A duel for the crown. A duel for peace," he finally told me.

The words broke through the silence harshly. How could this be a logical plan? They could easily blindside us by this plan. How would we know that they would hold up their side of the deal? But most importantly…what if we lost? Just who was to be doing this duel?

"Peter, this is very risky," I said, slowing my footsteps to a stop," I do not trust them."

" I know, nor do I," he answered," But it's our only counter option. How can Miraz deny it? He's much too proud of himself. And we have to face the fact that our army is not nearly strong enough to defeat them...they are too powerful."

I didn't answer again for my mind was much too busy. I couldn't bear to see any of the Narnians duel Miraz and I was scared to ask who he had in mind to fight the duel. Peter was right though...it didn't matter how long we trained, we would still have to fight and lose to them eventually. As much as I hated to admit it, this was our only option. This was practically our back up plan in case the Lion did not come to our rescue. This barely gave me a peace of mind.

"Please, don't tell me who's doing the dueling," I answered meekly, knowing I couldn't handle it.

"Rosalie," He sighed as his whole body seemed to tense," I'm the one who has to fight Miraz."

**Author's Note: Alright, whadya think? Let me know! Thanks reviewers, love you all. Check out the poll on my profile :)  
**


	18. The Calm Before the Storm

**Author's Note: ****I own nothing...you know the drill.  
**

**Thanks to the reviewers/alerters/favorites. Also, thanks if you have voted in the poll. Keep voting because right now I have two different endings and I can't have that haha so the poll helps me to gauge what you guys are interested in reading.  
**

**I hope ya'll like this chapter, especially you Caspian fans out there :)  
**

Chapter Eighteen: The Calm Before the Storm

I couldn't answer. I didn't know how I was suppose to answer. All I could manage to do was run my fingers through my hair, searching for some sort of comfort through each strand of hair.

"No," I shook my head, fingers still tangled in," No, there's _no_ way."

"Rosalie," he answered, his voice tender," You know it must be done."

I turned away from him and continued walking, pacing really. Trying to think of something, anything that would keep him from going into one-on-one battle with Miraz. Anything but that.

"There's got to be something else," I mumbled to him, finally stopping my pacing," _Anything_! It can be avoided, we don't have to do this…we-we can just fight them!"

His hand laid softly on my shoulder and shook his head" You know that we don't have the numbers."

But I would not accept it, not just yet.

"They're a bunch of cheats, Peter," I argued," How do we know that they will not just break any deal we pose to them?"

He nodded his head in agreement, but his decision still stood," I know, Rosalie. We've got to take the risk though because you know that they would just…annihilate us."

What point was there in arguing with reality?

In his eyes, I saw determination. A beautiful thing really that could produce one of two seeds. Either success or failure, simply enough. It was useless for me to argue it with him because he had already set his mind to it and there was no stopping him. He was willing to do anything for Narnia and no one, not even myself, could stand in his way. Knowing this to be true, I painstakingly nodded my head, just to please him and avoid further argument.

"You don't like it, do you?" he asked, smirking; he knew me too well.

A small smile came to my lips," Not at all."

He pulled me into an embrace and I felt his strong, protecting arms around me once more. This could have been one of the last times…if he was unsuccessful. I wanted to think that Peter would easily defeat Miraz, but Miraz was not an easy man to battle. He was very strong and would be quite the challenge for Peter. I felt the High King's chin rest on the top of my head," I don't want you to do this, Peter."

"I know," he said into my hair, "But Edmund's going over to send the message early this morning."

"_This_ morning?" I asked, my eyes looking up to his, desperately wanting to hear a different answer.

He nodded his head," We can't wait forever."

* * *

After Peter had continued trying to provide some sort of comfort with no success, I finally broke away from him and tried to force myself to sleep. Perhaps, just like from my childhood, the realm of my dreams would be able to erase reality's impact upon me. Maybe I could just get away from all of this madness, maybe. When I arrived at my sleeping chambers, Susan and Lucy were sleeping soundly in their blankets, but I noticed that Penelope was no where to be found. I probably should have shown more concern, but my mind was spinning and extreme fatigue washed over me. I curled up in my own blankets and tried to force sleep, but just as soon as I would drift in the land of sleep, I would be disturbed with nightmares. Horrible nightmares.

First, I would see my poor mother dying, all over again. Then next it would move onto my sister and then after her, Caspian. The last to be brutally killed was Peter, my father the lead over all the killings. After countless rounds of this, I finally pulled myself awake and began walking around. When I walked around, I noticed that Penelope was still missing and that Susan and Lucy were still dreaming.

Groggily, I stumbled out of the room, careful not to wake the slumbering Queen Lucy and Queen Susan. Some creatures wandered through the How, but most were still asleep as I could safely assume. My destination was the overlook, where maybe I could find some true peace of mind. A calmness before the storm.

After stumbling my way to the top of the How, I sat myself down and dangled my feet over the edge. It was still dark outside, but in the distance the orange burst of sun started to pop through the darkened sky. There was just enough light for me to see the Telmarine guards riding along the tree line out in the far distance. It was so odd to picture a battle there, it was so peaceful at the time being. Just the sight I needed to see.

_We can't wait forever…_Peter's words rang in my head as I watched the Telmarine guards trot back and forth on their horses. In just a matter of hours, we would know the fate of our cause. Perhaps, the battle could be avoided, but for some reason I still believed there would be blood shed no matter the result of the duel. Miraz might even deny the duel, I didn't know at that point. I thought of turning myself in. Maybe if I sacrificed myself, then some way, some how the Telmarines would spare the rest of them.

But this was not a logical point. It seemed rather foolish for me to think that turning myself in to my father would solve all of our problems. It would be foolish for me to fantasize about taking the easy way out...there wouldn't be an easy way out...not of all that had happened.

"It is peaceful up here," a voice said from behind me and I quickly turned my head to see who it was.

Caspian. Standing in just a white tunic and trousers, his hair untidy and his face filled with mixed emotions. I looked him up and down and watched as he continued walking toward me. Confused, I finally replied," Yes, it is."

"Strange to picture any sort of battle happening here, isn't it?" he asked me, the tone of his voice the same as it had been before, like nothing had ever happened; he motioned to the empty space beside me," May I?"

I nodded, still baffled. I continued to scrutinize him to try and see just what he was up to. His slowly dangled his legs over the edge of the overlook along with me.

"It is," I answered, finally looking away," I rather wish that it could be avoided."

Out of the side of my eye, I could see him nodding. The two of us sat, watching the sun rise over the landscape. The sky exploded with bursts of red, orange, and pink as the sun rose out of it grave. As it rose, the curiosity in my head was about to explode. I didn't want to face Caspian…I didn't want to have to relive that night where we fell apart, but I had to know something.

"Caspian," I finally said softly," Why did you come up here?"

The silence that hung seemed like forever before words came from his mouth. My heart almost skipped a beat as I waited for his reply.

"Your sister has kept me up all night," he said simply, without further explanation," Talking to me about the way things _used_ to be."

Tension ran through my body. I felt my muscles tense up all through my legs and arms. I left the air silent, hoping he would take it as an invitation to continue. I really didn't want to relive any of this...I didn't want to talk about any of it. I wanted our falling out to be a thing lost in history.

"She reminded me of memories that I had long forgotten since we have been home. She spoke of everything all of us did as children…all the fun times running around the castle…all of the times your mother would tell us stories…all of the times Doctor Cornelius would. The times when life was…" he paused, searching for the right word.

"Simple?" I offered and he looked straight at me.

"Yes," he answered with another nod of his head," Simple."

Another pause hung before he continued on," Penelope, is one of the smartest girls I have ever met. She has all of these opinions and grand ideas, but there was something she said that I felt was necessary to share with you. I feel like you need to know this. It is hard to believe that she is merely thirteen years old. She said so much and opened my eyes to so many things."

"She is a blessing," I said to him after he paused briefly before he looked straight at me and I at him.

"She is," he agreed before continuing on," I do not want to relive the whole conversation I had with Penelope to you, but there is one main thing that I feel like you should know of it and what she told me and what I told her."

I watched him as he nervously continued, but I still said nothing to him. Mostly because my muscles were so tense that I could hardly manage any thing other than just sitting still and keeping silent.

A sigh came from his mouth," I also know that you could probably never forgive me for my actions. You could probably never find it in your heart to soften your feelings for me so that we could be the friends that we used to be," there was a pause as he searched for more words," I just want you to know that my feelings for you are the same as they have always been. You are my little sister, both you and Penelope are, and I want you to know that I would still do anything to protect the both of you. After talking with her about all of _this_, I have realized it now, here on the eve of battle, that I still care about you as any brother should always care for his sister."

The tiny part of my heart that wanted Caspian to be a companion again fluttered. I couldn't look at him because I knew that if I did then I might break down right there. I had to be strong, but hearing him say that was so good to hear. I didn't know how I was suppose to respond, I didn't know how he expected me to respond, but it felt so odd to listen to him say this. Our relationship had been cold and hard and solely a professional matter up until this point. Even though my heart was warming, I could only seem to find a question to answer his heartfelt monologue with.

"Why are you telling me this Caspian?" I finally asked him, very quietly.

"I am telling you this," his voice shaky," Because I do not know what lies in those woods. I tell you this out of fear of the unknown, Rosalie. If I die, from this battle for independence, then I would forever regret not telling you what my heart says. I am not asking for your forgiveness, in fact, you do not have to listen to a word that I say. You may ignore every single word of it, but had I never verbalized this, then I would have regretted it."

So he was scared of that death awaited us as well. I wanted to answer, I wanted to say something to him in return, but I could hear him starting to shift himself away from his position at the edge of the cliff. I didn't want him to leave; I wanted to be able to answer him, but my timing was long and we sat for several moments in silence. All I could do was replay his words over and over in my head, after all of this...after all the times I had been so mad at him and so enraged with him...now he said that he would always care for me. Like a brother should.

How could anything I say match that?

After several moments, I heard him pulling himself away from the edge of the cliff before standing up," I just felt that I needed to share this with you. Make of it, whatever you would like."

I met his eyes," Caspian, I-"

"Please," he silenced me, a certain softness still in his eyes," You do not have to say anything. All I needed was your ear to listen."

"Caspian-" I tried again, still softly, but there was only one thing I could muster," Thank you."

I looked away, embarassed slightly by my pathetic answer, but he took it very seriously. He gave me a nod before starting to leave once more," I hope that once all of this is over you and the High King are happy together," he told me, his tone genuine.

It took me a moment, but I felt it was only appropriate that I answer with," As well as yourself and the Queen," I told him, just as soft.

His stare was intense for a moment after I said the words, he seemed almost as shocked that I had said it that I was, but nevertheless, he still thanked me before turning on his heel to begin the big day.

As soon as he left, I shook my head in disbelief as I looked into the distance. I couldn't believe that Caspian had just come up to see me and spilled his heart out. There was no mention of our fall out, no mention of our despise for each other, but only true feelings. Well, Caspian's true feelings, I felt guilty that I couldn't even answer. I was too caught off guard to come up with anything, but it was a relief to know that Caspian was not still bitter toward me. It was a relief to know that he still thought of me as family.

The only problem was that I was then more confused than ever before.


	19. How Am I to Know?

**Author's Note: I own nothing :)**

Chapter Nineteen: How Am I To Know?

I sat there, on the edge for a good portion of the morning. Contemplating, reminiscing. I watched as King Edmund went strolling across the field with two escorts, one of them holding a white flag. King Miraz would either deny the request (so I prayed) or accept the challenge (so I feared).

Hearing Caspian tell me that he still cared for me as a sister was a small relief to me. This was probably the closest thing to an apology that we would ever have and I had to cherish it even though I knew in my heart that it would probably never be like it used to be. The night when we fell apart would forever stay cut into my heart no matter how hard I tried to reject it. I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened had none of this had ever happened…what if we had still gone on living the life we had before?

I laughed at myself for dreaming such a fantasy. It wasn't logical. Plus, I had met someone new that had changed me as well. That being King Peter, of course…but could I really compare the two?

Who was I kidding? Peter had brought me joy that I wouldn't of been able to have else wise. I made this my final verdict for the time being because a) I would have driven myself mad had I sat there thinking any longer and b) Reepicheep came up to tell me that my presence was requested down in the Stone Table room.

* * *

I could feel the tension in the air as I stepped into the room. Almost everyone was dead silent and the expressions worn on their faces told me that they were scared. I could imagine that my face looked just as flushed, but this was a side of the brave warriors I hadn't seen before. I could hardly blame them…I was just as frightened.

"So that is what we intend to do? Destroy the How and make the ground come collapsing under them?" Caspian asked as I took my usual spot on the rock next to Reepicheep," Assuming that the Telmarines do break their word."

Peter had his arms tucked behind his back as he paced back and forth," It one of our best chances of depleting most of their numbers. You know we haven't the numbers to actually destroy them else wise."

Caspian nodded his head in agreement," Then I agree to it."

"It'd be much easier if the lousy, pieces of trash would be decent enough to just keep their word," the mouse beside me squeaked.

A roll of laughter went through the crowd at the small mouse. He verbalized the thoughts that went through all of our heads, which made the statement much more humorous. Leave it to Reepicheep to lighten even the most serious of moods.

"Yes, Reep," Peter agreed with a smile," If only."

Our wait for the verdict was not long, for after a few minutes of strategizing, we heard footsteps running through the tunnels. All of us seemed to be silent at once as the young King came sprinting into the room, his escorts following behind him. He tried catching his breath, but announced anyways," He's accepted!"

My heart almost stopped beating as I looked over at the High King who nodded his head simply before saying," He agreed to today at midday?"

"Yes," he answered, still out of breath, as he came closer to his brother.

Peter replied with a simple nod of the head," I guess that this is the time that preparations should be made."

With a final glance over the crowd standing around him he said," You all know what to do."

Then, he turned and exited the room.

* * *

I checked seemingly every room and corridor for him, but I couldn't seem to locate him. Turn after turn I would hope to see the light-haired, blue eyed King, but he continued to stay hidden from my view. As I turned down what I had decided might be my last option, I heard my name as I looked into the enclosure.

"Rosalie," he said softly as I entered the room.

I smiled when I saw him and immediately embraced him once more," I don't want you to do this," I admitted openly as I rested my head on his chest.

"I know," he whispered back to me," I know you don't."

As much as it pained me to admit, I knew that he _had_ to do this. Not only because it was his duty, but also because mentally he told himself that he must do this. He would never be able to live with himself if he lived to see the end of this war and more Narnians died than necessary.

"But I know," I started," That you _must_ do this. It is for the sake of the people."

He broke away from me for a moment, still keeping two hands on my arms," You really mean this?" he asked, a hint of incredulity in his voice.

I met his blue eyes and nodded then with a confident voice answered," Of course. I have not known you for a long time Peter, but I believe that I have known you for long enough now to know that you would do anything for your people."

He nodded again and replied with a genuine," Thank you."

Slowly, I felt his hands drop away from my arms and he began stepping away from me. He walked over to where, I noticed, the armor he was to wear lay. His fingers ran over the lion emblem over the breast plate of the armor and then he continued to look over the rest of it. I found this odd that he had seemingly forgotten that I was in the room.

"Peter, are you-" I started to ask, but I noticed he was not even paying attention to me.

After several more moments he finally responded," Rosalie, do you mind if I ask you something that may seem personal?"

Confused, I took a step closer to him and replied," I do not mind, ask your question."

He let out a sigh before beginning," It seems like only yesterday that our paths first crossed and you threatened to kill me with a slice of your blade," I smiled slightly at the remembrance of this, I saw a smirk form on his face as well, but it vanished as he continued on," I remember slicing your hand and feeling immediate guilt afterwards. I remember thinking awful thoughts of a stupid girl trying to bring harm to me, but I saw something in you that I admired. Can you guess what that was?"

Hardly finding this question applicable to being personal, I pondered on it for a moment. I wondered just what it was that he was trying to get me to say, but I answered just how I thought he would want me to with a slight chuckle," Bravery?"

He shook his head and returned with a smile," Though it would have fit…no. Try again."

My mind buzzed with all sorts of things that he could have been thinking. I replayed that day several times in my head, but what bothered me was that Peter wasn't even asking what I knew he wanted to. This seemed to be some sort of a foreplay, so finally I asked him," Just what are you trying to get at? I don't seem to be understanding."

He didn't look at me, but continued to gaze at the armor," It was loyalty, Rosalie."

I remembered seeing Caspian, about to be destroyed by Peter. I remembered feeling so much hatred toward this pompous, boy who thought he could just be rid of him right there. Though I wasn't much of a swordsman, I could do what I could just to protect him…my brother. I guess that was being loyal.

"You were so determined to save him that you put your life on the line for him," he said to me, stroking the sword he would carry," You were willing to _die_ for him."

Pieces of the puzzle slowly started to form as Peter continued talking.

"Then, as time progressed, you continued to despise me and went so far as to strike me because you saw me as a threat to the person who you loved, would you say this is accurate?" he questioned me, looking at me briefly.

"Yes," I answered, but then went on to add," But things have changed since then, Peter. You know that."

"Oh yes," he agreed," I know this very well, Rosalie. I know that you were betrayed by the person who you had been closest to your whole life for we have already discussed this-"

"Which is why," I interrupted," I am still puzzled as to why we are reliving this."

"Because Rosalie," he explained to me," I have always had a special feeling for you that I haven't had for anyone else I have ever met. Ever since the moment that you had the audacity to draw your sword at me, I have found myself attracted to you in a way that I can't even describe."

A part of my heart melted as he told me this.

I hadn't a clue how I could respond to this. I wanted to respond in the same manner and say that really, my love for him was hidden under my hate, but it wasn't that sort of a case. I was cold toward Peter for the longest time. In fact, I would argue that I was anything but attracted to him; I was appalled by him. Had someone told me that I would develop feelings for the boy, I would have laughed at them and turned away thinking it to be some sort of sick joke.

"Peter, I was so bitter toward you at first-"

He shook his head and stepped away from his armor for the first time," No, no, no, don't worry about the past. The only reason that I refer to the past is so that I can discuss the future."

The future. Those words hit me deep. Peter had been there for me whenever everyone else had abandoned me, he was my rescuer, he was my safety and whenever I was in his presence; I was happy. However, when he said those two words, I remembered my younger sister's face, worried over my relationship with Peter.

"Do you mean after all this is over?" I asked him tenderly.

"Yes, Rosalie," he replied as he stepped closer," I wish to get to know you better."

"And I you," I answered, slightly comforted that he wasn't rushing into anything extreme.

"However," he began and I glanced at him through the side of my eye, heart beating," The main reason I am saying all this is because I want to be certain you feel the same way."

Penelope's voice rang in my head once more as I waited for him to speak more. I remembered her referring to the short amount of time that I had only known Peter. I remembered her making a reference to Caspian.

Caspian.

This was _not_ about Caspian. I had already heard Caspian's feelings for me.

"Just days ago, you were willing to place your life on the line in order to save your companion, that being Caspian. I know that a lot can change over the course of a few days and before we delve any further into this, I want to be sure that you haven't any feelings for the prince. How can you prove to me that the young prince is no longer in your heart?" he questioned me, continuing to grow closer to me," How can I be sure that I would not be sharing these emotions with another? How am I to know?"

So…this _was_ about Caspian.

I had to think of this from Peter's perspective. He had known that Caspian and I had grown up together. By the looks of it, he could have easily inferred that we were a "couple" just by the amount of time we spent together, before the whole castle raid incident that is…

He didn't know the whole story though, he hadn't heard what Caspian had just said to me only moments ago.

Then I took into consideration my own feelings. Suppose I did end up with the King, years down the road, how would I feel? Could the small part of my heart that did still desire Caspian's companionship ever be silenced? Would I ever be able to live with my sister never forgiving me for choosing someone who I hardly knew as long as Caspian?

Were all of these feelings merely temporary?

I felt him come closer to me and slowly try to place a hand on my shoulder," All I need is to hear your answer."

I heard the footsteps coming closer down the hallway, probably coming to suit the King up for his duel. This was not a matter that any of them needed to hear about, this was merely between myself and Peter. I felt even more pressure to give him an answer.

"You are asking-" I stuttered, still trying to find the right words," More than you know."

I remembered sitting on the overlook and remembering everything that I had thought of. Over the last few days, I had separated myself from Caspian. I didn't care the slightest for him…or so I told myself. Now, I had to verbalize it. Now, I had to tell Peter how I felt of the Telmarine prince who I had been so close to for so long…it is easy to avoid someone who no words. It is easy to hate someone mentally for what they do, but expressing it in words is much different.

" I know that this is-"

"Peter," I stopped him," You must know, that I share the same feeling around you that you feel when you are around me. You must know this," the footsteps became louder as I paused," However, you must also know something else."

I tried picking my words wisely. So many conflicting thoughts inside of my head made it hard for me to make any sort of decision. The footsteps, almost entering now, put even more pressure on me. My heart was screaming for me to confess my love for Peter and to tell him that it was all I wanted to get to know him better and that _all_ of my heart was dedicated to him.

But I would be lying.

I would not only be lying to him, but to myself as well.

My heart would always be wounded, even if it was only a minor scratch, for the Telmarine prince.

"I do not know how to explain this, but a part of my heart still belongs to Caspian, Peter," I admitted to him, breaking his eye contact," I think that it is merely because he is a part of my childhood and that-that he is my last connection to the life I used to have. I want you to know that I would love to know you better after this has all passed, Peter, but I cannot lie to you and say that you are the sole person on my heart because he still holds a place there as well. You must understand. His friendship was almost the only thing that I had as a child and the thought that I have lost my childhood by losing him...will forever pain me."

My words seemed to float in the air for a few moments before he actually responded.

"This is what I thought," he mumbled to himself and slowly moved his hand off of my shoulder. I grabbed his hand again, trying to comfort him.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to him.

"You've nothing to be sorry for," he assured me, trying to force a smile," When all of this is over with, we will have it sorted out."

"Please do not take this the wrong way. You know what I am saying, don't you? You understand?" I asked him, keeping my fingers locked through his.

"Of course, it would be foolish of me to ask for you to forget someone so close to your childhood," he said, his voice more confident.

I smiled at him, glad that he did understand. This was a genuine relief to me and I squeezed his hand one last time for the men were entering the room. I slowly bid Peter a farewell and stepped away from him. Then, just as I was leaving I found myself almost colliding with one of the soldiers coming to meet with the King.

I looked into the eyes of Caspian.

**Author's Note: And the drama continues! Haha, this chapter took me a while to plan out and I have been battling the Flu as I write this, so I apologize if any of it doesn't make sense. I did read over it several times, but sometimes medications prevent one from thinking straight. Anyways, I have already started the next chapter and, rest assured, there will be **_**action**_** in the next chapter. (notice the underline and italic…haha)**

**Don't forget to keep voting in that poll! I still have a few ideas that could have the story end either way. Right now, Caspian is winning by three votes. Thanks to the reviewers/alerters/favoriters, you are greatly appreciated.**


	20. The Duel Begins

**Author's Note: I own nothing :)**

**Thanks to reviewers/all you others (you know who you are)! I appreciate it greatly. Also, thanks for voting in the poll! It's still close, so keep voting.**

Chapter Twenty: The Duel

"Are you ready to put this on?" Susan asked me almost as soon as I entered into our quarters, referring to the armor that lay in our room. My mind was still wandering about all that had been said to Peter and seeing Caspian. In the deeper portions of my mind, I was praying that Caspian hadn't heard a word of Peter and I's conversation. I was hoping that it was only chance that I just so happened to run into him and he had heard nothing...but part of me wondered.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I said with a shrug of my shoulders, she actually smirked at this comment.

Even though we didn't particularly see eye-to-eye, there were some things..such as putting on armor that I simply wasn't experienced in.

I had never worn such heavy clothing before in my life. I guess I was used to wearing some sort of light dress or something of the sort so when Susan began throwing metal chain and thick leather layers over my head, I was rather shocked. When the whole process was over, I felt as though I had gained roughly fifty pounds and had long lost count as to how many layers I actually was wearing. The room also seemed to get much hotter and uncomfortable, but I figured that if it was going to save my life...then it was worth it.

Queen Lucy happened to be walking in when I was about to begin helping Susan into her armor. I was slightly embarrassed by the fact that the small Queen had more knowledge of this than I did, but then again I had to take into account that she had done this before with her siblings. Quite a few times, actually.

"No, no, silly," she would scold," Don't you know that this goes _over_ that? Oh please, allow me."

All I would do is smile and step aside and let the young Queen do whatever she desired until Susan was fully suited. About the time that Susan was finished, my own sister sauntered into the room. I had forgotten that she was going to play a part in this as well, if the battle did occur. She would be in just as much danger as any one else would be. There was no way, however, that I would ever let her out of the How to see any of it unless absolutely necessary.

"Penelope your armor is right here," Lucy stated as she walked over to a small pile over in the corner.

"I can't believe I'm watching my baby sister be suited up for battle," I said with a sigh," But don't you think for a minute that gives you an excuse to leave this Tomb until you are told that it is absolutely necessary."

She rolled her eyes at me as Susan and Lucy began tying up her armor," Yes, mother."

I returned her eye roll with an eye roll. I loved her to pieces, but we were still sisters and we still could get on each other's nerves at times.

Soon enough, King Edmund came into the room, fully suited in his own armor. He took a look around the room to see that everyone was accounted for before saying," Ready to take our positions?"

Susan and Lucy looked to each other before nodding. As they headed toward the exit, they embraced their brother one last time. None of their eyes sad, but yet well aware that anything could happen. The two queens looked back to Penelope and I again before leaving with a smile. I took a step forward to stand beside the Just King and wait for him to start leading the way. I felt Penelope grab my arm," Please, Rosalie," I heard her beg me as I turned and met her eyes," You're not going to make me stay bundled up in here, are you? Let me at least watch the duel."

She was just like me. She didn't want to be locked up and she didn't like being told what to do. I would have loved to allow her to go with us, but being her older sister; I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't allow for her to place herself in danger because she was still a child. There wasn't even an option for her; she had to stay hidden.

"Penelope," I started," You've got to stay here. Trust me, there are things that you do not want to see out there."

She pleaded once more before throwing herself into my arms. I held her tight for a moment and I could imagine the awkwardness that Edmund must have been feeling, just standing there and watching, but I held her while I could because…honestly…I couldn't completely guarantee that I would come back.

"Please stay here," I whispered to her one last time as she broke the embrace and only looked at me with a slightly trembling lip.

I felt a brush on my foot and then looked down after a couple moments. Watching as the little mouse climbed to my sister's shoulder, I laughed.

"She will not be going anywhere, my lady," Reepicheep assured me, looking from my younger sister to me," Don't worry."

A smile grew to my lips," I know that she is in good hands then."

Penelope looked at the little mouse and grinned, before looking back at me," Be careful, Rose."

There wasn't an option for me either. I had to come back for her. I couldn't leave her alone. Grabbing both of her hands and squeezing them slightly, I told her," Don't you worry."

* * *

Edmund and I met up with Peter and Caspian a few moments later as we traveled down the tunnels. My heart beat harder with every step I took. I could hear the pounding of the Telmarines footsteps outside and wondered just what they looked like. I knew I wouldn't have to wonder for long, but it still made me curious. Part of it did frighten me, however.

I saw Peter, dressed fully in his armor for the battle. There were plenty of creatures surrounding him, making sure that his armor was properly attached. Attending to every detail that would give him the advantage. As we came into view, I walked over to him once again.

"Hello Peter," I whispered to him as he sheathed his sword.

"Hello Rosalie," he answered with a forced smile.

I didn't know exactly what I wanted to say to him, but I had to say something. This could be my last time speaking with him. I prayed that it was not, but there was always that dreadful possibility.

The crowd was pushing us forward, for we knew that midday had already rung, but as we were forced to the outdoors, I said to him," Please, be careful."

"I'll be as careful as I can," he assured me with a genuine boy-ish smirk.

With a final smile, he was forced forward. He looked back one time, but that was all and then; he was gone. I felt like a piece of me was being ripped out and dragged away from me. I watched as he exited the How and entered into the outdoors and I soon followed him at the end of the crowd. It was there where I found Caspian.

He bowed his head slightly to me as I returned the gesture," Rosalie," he said softly as we exited the How, side by side.

"Caspian," I greeted with a smile before turning my head away, I noticed that he was dressed for battle as well with many layers of chain and leather on the outermost.

There was a silence for a moment as we first exited the How and looked upon the army that had come to support its King for the first time.

It was unlike anything I had ever seen before.

The sea of men was so massive and…intimidating. They all appeared to be standing so tall and strong…so experienced and ready. Upon seeing them, my jaw dropped slightly. It may have been the shine of their armor or perhaps the sharpened spears the front of the line held, but at the sight of them, all of me wanted to run back in and hold my sister close to me. I most definitely did not want her seeing any of this. Their chants, mixed along with the chants of our own army rang through my ears...so this was the true calm before the storm. This was how the air would feel before any swords were drawn or before any blood was shed. Face to face. Staring down at one another. Cheering for our King to win.

"Oh my," I finally whispered, awestruck by our enemy.

I saw Caspian smile and look at me," Are you surprised by what you see?"

My eyes scanned the whole army that seemed to span over most of the open pasture in front of the How," Yes, that would be very appropriate to say."

His eyes scanned over the enemy as I broke my glance and looked at him before looking behind us at our own "army" of soldiers. I could barely stand to look at them, scattered all on the side of the How, after seeing the Telmarine army.

"I have to say that I am feeling the same way," he told me as we continued toward the pillars where Peter and Edmund already sat," They are very large."

"We haven't a chance," I whispered, stating exactly what I thought as I imagined the army charging us and destroying all of us in the hour.

Caspian shot me a look with a raised brow," Though it is likely…." he paused, taking in the vastness of the army," Remember, that we still have a hope for Aslan. Susan and Lucy are safely on their way now."

I nodded my head, blindly agreeing to him until out in the distance..toward the tree line, I could see a troop of Telmarine soldiers riding into the woods. They appeared to be on the trail of something, but they stood out since they were the only ones moving and the rest was lined up in these massive battle lines, stationary. Noticing this, I brought it up to Caspian.

"Safely? They have safely left?" I asked him incredulously, looking more closely at the figures in the distance," I hope not in that direction."

Caspian looked over and scrutinized the cluster of men heading into the forest. I heard him mutter to himself under his breath before saying," It is exactly where they were headed…" he stopped midway through and stared at the troop," Rosalie, I've got to go and help them. They won't last on their own."

The thought of the poor girls being ambushed by a group of Telmarines entered into my head and immediately I encouraged him," Go! Caspian, do not hesitate!"

Even if it was Susan, Queen Lucy had to get to Aslan. She was our only hope of getting out of this alive. Maybe we could hold off the Telmarines for a little while, but we would not last for long. Caspian soon was running back toward the How in order to grab his horse, I hadn't ever seen him running about so quickly. Within moments, he was riding out of the How on his steed rushing off to the forest, but before he reached the woods, he looked back at me one last time.

"Rosalie!" he called before I stepped any closer to where the duel was about to begin," You remember what I told you at the overlook?"

I looked at him and titled my head slightly, confused by just what he was referring to, but I guessed he meant what he told me he felt about me. I nodded my head, hesitantly. Without another word, he turned and kicked his horse into fast speed to go racing into the woods. Puzzled, I continued walking toward the duel where Miraz and Peter were already circling one another. The armies still cheering on their King.

"Has anything happened?" I asked Edmund as I reached the columns, looking on to the two.

He looked at me," Nothing, Miraz has just told him that it's not too late for him to surrender."

I chuckled at this," Which I am sure that Peter took very well."

Edmund only smiled along with me.

Miraz looked like some sort of man made out of metal. He looked indestructible in this suit of armor that had a gold tint to it. Peter's looked like light riding clothing compared to his suit of heavy armor. Just looking at the thickness of the metal made me shudder to think of what would happen had that big, heavy sword taken a slice out of Peter. The pain would have to be unbearable, but that couldn't happen. I couldn't bear thinking about if that happened.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of metal hitting metal. I watched as Peter climbed to higher ground and came crashing down on the Telmarine King. The duel for Narnia…had begun. Between clashes, I had the chance to look over to the other side where Miraz's own group of men stood proudly watching on. I looked over every one of the men's faces and of course, my father was there, as well as Glozelle, along with others. I also noticed a different face standing next to my father. A face that I hardly recognized.

Jacob.

He looked so different. It was not the older brother that I used to see as a child. It was not the face of the boy who I used to play pretend with…no it was someone entirely different. His face looked hard and cold as he stared at the duel happening in front of his face. His arms were folded over his heavily protected chest as he watched silently, but every so often father would whisper something to him. At times, I would argue that they were speaking of me with their small glances shifting in my direction.

"Ahh!" my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Peter's cry.

My eyes returned to Miraz and Peter's duel. They continued exchanging heavy swings, that, had they actually made contact, probably would have sent the other flying in the other direction. It amazed me to watch the speed of the battle and the power that the two possessed.

A couple minutes after the duel had begun, I noticed my father speaking with my brother. He leaned over to whisper something into his ear and then quickly, he turned away from the duel, as if excusing himself. My mind was away from the duel once more as my father met another Telmarine from the front of the lines with his steed. He quickly mounted before riding to the back of the line, but he didn't stop there. He kept on going and going before he was out of sight into the tree line.

_Clash!_

I shot my head back to the battle. A hit here and a struggle there. It went back and forth. Peter was handling himself very well against such an experienced fighter, both of them appeared to be equally matched to one another. It tired me out just watching them take such desperate, swings at one another. At one point, Peter's helmet had been knocked right off his head, making me gasp slightly. My heart seemed to be beating out of my chest as I watched. It was so close. I was so close to losing someone who was very dear to me and I was also very close to having someone so cruel being destroyed. It made me very nervous not to know which way this was going to go so as a nervous habit, I folded my hands over one another.

The crowd behind us cheered and at times were silent. Their roar of joyous cries when Peter would strike Miraz would set my heart a little more at ease, but when the Telmarines would cheer, my heart would once again begin beating quickly, nervously.

"Ahhhhhhh!" the cry sounded once more, this time, pain-filled.

Peter had been knocked to the ground by Miraz, The High King's shield being crushed behind him. I could almost hear the moving of bones from where I stood beside Edmund. I felt color wash from my face as the dark headed monster peered over Peter before Peter was able to climb to his feet. The pain in his face told me that the blow to his arm was hurting him desperately, but in the duel, Peter had been able to slice up Miraz's knee badly.

Both of them were limping as they circled each other, preparing to strike once more, but Miraz soon filled the silence," Does, _his majesty_, need a rest?" he spat out the mock from behind the golden mask on his face.

"Five minutes," was all that Peter replied with as Edmund ran to meet him. I looked back at the crowd as they stood, now silenced, by what had happened.

"I think I've dislocated my shoulder," he groaned to Ed as he took his sword away for a moment and sat himself down on one of the larger rocks.

Edmund nodded and gave his attention to Peter's shoulder. Trying, in some way, to ease the pain of it. I could only imagine the throbbing of the bone and the pain that lie in his arm. Nevertheless, I crouched down to my knees and placed both of hands on his armored knees where he sat.

"This is too close," I whispered to Peter hoarsely replaying the scene of Miraz dislocating his arm in my head," You know it is."

He glared over at Miraz before looking back at me, his face dripping with drops of sweat," I've got to give Lucy time to get to Aslan," he answered, weakly," You haven't heard anything?"

I looked over to the tree line where Caspian had gone racing off to only moments earlier," Peter…Caspian went to defend Lucy. I guess that a group must of realized what they were doing or something, but Telmarines were heading after them in the same direction."

No words came from Peter's mouth, but another cry of pain came as Edmund tried twisting his arm. I tightened my grip on Peter's knee, watching him in such great pain. Tears came to my eyes as I looked at him, feeling his pain as my own.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to him as I watched his blue, pain-filled eyes meet my own.

"It's alright," he answered, but the look on his face did not look convinced," If I die, I'll know that I at least tried to help her through."

I didn't like listening to him talk that way," Stop it, you're going to beat him, Peter. You can and-and you will."

He forced a smile to his face as he placed his hand on top of my own," Thank you, Rosalie."

Then through the silent air, horse hooves could be heard approaching. The same look came to both Peter and my own face as we shot our heads back toward the tree line. The rider of the brown horse was Susan. I would have been more excited to see her had she been with Caspian and not just riding his _horse_.

Where could he be?


	21. The Truth About Caspian

**A/N: I own nothing other than the names you don't recognize. Everything else= C.S. Lewis.**

**Alright, so I think that I have decided how I am going to wrap this up…but I'm going to keep the poll open for a while longer, just for fun :)**

Chapter Twenty-One: The Truth About Caspian

Part of me didn't want to hear what Susan had to say as she dismounted and strolled toward us. There was a certain, unreadable look on her face as she walked up that seemed to be as hard as stone. No emotions, positive or negative were worn on her porcelain face as she drew nearer to us and as she stepped closer, my heart rate increased wondering just what the reasoning behind there being no Caspian could be.

"Susan," Peter panted as Edmund continued moving his arm in various directions to relieve the dislocation.

Susan smiled slightly at her brother as she tried her best to tenderly embrace him without hurting his arm," Are you okay? How are you holding up?" she asked him softly, staying crouched down to eye level with him where he sat on the rock.

"Fine, at the time being," he answered unconvincingly with a wince," But, please tell me that Lucy got through."

Susan stared at her brother for a moment before looking away," She's through, Peter. Thanks to Caspian," she said the last with a sigh.

At the mention of Caspian, there seemed to be a silence that lingered. Then, out of my mouth, the words slipped.

"And," I started, very tentatively," Where is Caspian?"

I felt as though I had asked the question that all of us were thinking.

There was a silence in the air as Susan kept her eyes away from my own, but only smiled to herself and looked down. The smile was not a humorous sort of smile, but it was rather a forced one. I tried searching her face for some sort of answer. Let me rephrase that, I tried searching for some sort of a _positive_ answer. It took her several moments before she even appeared to come back to her thoughts.

"Su," Peter tried getting a response from her," Where's Caspian?"

She ran her fingers through her hair as she straightened her posture back out. Still, there was no answer," He-he-" she stuttered, at a lost for words.

"He came practically out of nowhere and saved us," she finally said with another sigh," I was done for. Done for and then he came."

After another pause she continued on," I begged him, pleaded with him not to go. I told him that we needed him here, but he was so set on doing this. We've talked about it all last night, and after all this he still decides to go and do it!" she rambled on and on," He still decides to go and turn himself in!"

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. He couldn't have turned himself in. No, not to my father. I couldn't believe what I was hearing from her lips. I couldn't believe that he would just up and leave to sacrifice himself. Then, quickly, I saw his face on the overlook once more in my head. Regret ran through my veins...

_I would do anything just to make sure that you were safe because I still love you and Penelope as a sister…_

He told me to remember it. He said right before he left that he wanted me to remember it. I was so stupid, I should have known! This would have also explained why my father was leaving the duel. He must have told Caspian when he offered the deal where he would be waiting for him at…an even stronger level of anger ran through my veins. I would _not_ allow him to kill another person close to me. That wasn't even an option.

Interrupting my further questions to Susan, was the sound of Miraz's voice.

"Your majesty," he said to Peter, his voice still mocking, from his place," Time is up."

I looked at Peter before meeting the gaze of the dark eyed King. I stood myself up straight before saying," Please, can you give us just a moment more? We're trying to figure-"

"He said five minutes," the taut Telmarine 'king' spat back at me," No _more_, Miss Rosalie, No less."

Though I wanted to say much more to the King, I turned on my heel and looked back at Peter, grinding my teeth," Beat him quickly," I grumbled to Peter, trying not to explode at the King.

Peter only smiled before standing back up slowly, careful not to put too much pressure on any one part of his body," I'll try my best," he looked back at his sister," You'd better get up there," he told her, referring to the archerers up top of the How that would be waiting on her calls.

She nodded once, but before her brother could leave again she carefully hugged him," Be careful," she whispered to him.

"I will," he assured her before looking at me as Susan turned her back to us, she wasn't getting away from me that easily, however, still I softly put my arms around him as well and I felt his chin rest atop of my head as his voice mumbled to me," Find out what happened to Caspian."

His voice was barely audible as I kept him held close to me. Slowly, I broke away from him and nodded my head," Be safe, please, but really," I paused, trying to lighten the mood with a smile," Beat him quick."

He only smirked before once again breaking away from me and turning to his opponent once more. I stood on the sideline watching briefly as the two started to circle each other once more, I didn't want to leave Peter there, but I then looked over to Edmund, who was watching very intently and figured that he would be alright. Reluctantly, I turned my back on the duel and chased after the Gentle Queen.

"Susan!" I called, running after her, my voice sounding as if it echoed since the army had grown silent once more. Had Caspian gone to turn himself in, then his time was running short, but there was still hope if she told me just where he was.

She had almost reached the How as she turned on her heel to look at me. Her aura was still very cold and indifferent, unusual compared to her normal aura that seemed to be quite chipper.

"Yes?" she asked with a slight raise of her brow.

"You know that we can still save Caspian," I told her, trying not to sound too imposing, but still making my point clear," We can still go after him and save him, just tell me just where he is."

She narrowed her eyes and looked me up and down," Why do you care about Caspian now? You haven't seemed to as of late."

I sighed, realizing she would be more difficult than I had hoped," Listen, I know that I haven't been the best companion to Caspian, but his life is at stake now and don't you want to work to try and get him back? Together we can try and save him, but first you've got to say where it is he has gone."

"It's pointless, Rosalie," she told me," We could never save him! That's barbarous to think and plus...this is what he wants to do...it's what he's been telling-"

"We can try," I interrupted adamantly," Just tell me!"

There was a pause again, but the more we stood there the closer Caspian got to my father. The closer he got to his death. I wanted to force the words out of her in any way possible...I wanted her to spit them out or something, anything! I just wished that she would say something!

"Susan," I pressured her once more and finally as thought the tension was too much for her, the words came spilling from her lips.

"The river bridge!" she outburst," It's on the river bridge."

Immediately, I ran passed her to go inside the How to get my own horse. I wasn't letting her or anyone else stop me, I was going to stop Caspian from getting himself killed even if it meant risking my own life to do. He was not going to give himself in to my father just for us. I kept on rushing about inside the How where the rest of the Narnian creatures stood, awaiting the sign to start their attack. They all looked at me strangely as I frantically ran about. Finally, I reached Kingslee and threw myself on her back. Faster than I had ever done before, I dug my heels into her sides and she ran through the tunnels. I heard the centaurs and minotaurs calling out my name to figure out just what was going on, but I was deaf to their cries as I kept pushing forward.

Just as I reached the exit to the How, I met Susan once more and she placed herself right in front of the horse's path. I tried signaling for her to get out of the way, but she was set on telling me something else.

"Rosalie!" she cried as Kingslee slowed.

"Susan, please-"

"Listen, to me!" she called once," You need to know something."

Angered that she was once again interrupting the process of saving the Telmarine prince from my father, I irritably looked right into her eyes. Her blue eyes looked into mine pleadingly, begging that I give her an ear. With a nod of my head, she continued on.

"This whole time," she began, standing right beside Kingslee, looking up to me," Caspian has always loved _you_."

Excuse me?

Caspian had been fawning over _her_, not me. Definitely not me. I was taken aback by this comment and wished that she would just step aside and let me go and find him without that comment. She must have known that I had developed feelings for her brother and that anything I felt for Caspian anymore would have been merely like he said...as a sibling. A sibling sort of love and nothing more than that.

"Susan, I just don't think that you understand-" I tried, but she only cut me off.

"Stop talking and listen!" she spat out quickly," For all these weeks, I have tried to persuade Caspian to look at me the way he does you. At first, it was a matter of being a comfort for him and ensuring him that you would come back to your sense, but as I did this the more I longed for the prince. I want you to know that despite anything you may have seen or heard between the two of us…it's always been you."

I looked down, slightly embarrassed that she would say this, but not wanting to believe a word of it. How could it be true?…Why would it be true? At that moment, I didn't want to believe her so I simply looked right into her blue eyes and shook my head," No."

"Rosalie, I know that it's hard to believe, but he's always talked about you. He has always-"

I shook my head as I started to push my heel into Kingslee once more," He made it perfectly clear that we were no more than just siblings."

She vigorously shook her head at me," He had to tell you that because he was convincing _himself_, Rosalie, please-"

"Listen, I don't know what you are trying to accomplish by telling me this, but I am going after my _brother_," I tried telling her," I guess that I appreciate the thought, but both of us know that his time is running short and that someone has to do something."

Knowing it was useless to battle anymore, she stepped aside with a look of defeat on her face," I just wanted you to know, in case anything should happen..."

I nodded to her once and put a small smile on my face, but before long I was rushing out of the How once more in pursuit of Caspian. And although I did not want to think about anything that Susan had insinuated, they did stir in my head once or twice. And although I tried denying them, the part of me that had been longing for Caspian, was joyous and celebrating. It was at the moment that I saw the High King battling King Miraz once more that I realized something.

My heart was torn.

* * *

I had been to the river bridge once or twice in my time staying at the How. Mostly, just long enough to be able to know where it was, but not much more. I followed in the same path that I had watched Caspian go just moments before.

"C'mon girl, you haven't let me down yet," I whispered to Kingslee as we entered into the woods again.

The small path weaved in and out between trees of all sorts of different sizes. Kingslee ran faster than I had felt her run before, she must have felt the urgency in my bones. Before I had any time to plot out any of my plans for getting Caspian away from my father, I heard my name being called through the forest trees behind me.

I looked back through the thick of the trees, but saw no one. I figured that it was only my mind playing tricks on me as I delved further into the trees, but when I heard my name a second time, I knew that I was being followed by someone. I shot my eyes behind me and around me, but still could find nothing. It occurred to me that one of the Telmarines was probably hot on my trail.

"Rosalie!" the voice cried once more and then suddenly, blazing past my ear, an arrow sliced into the thick tree trunk. Gulping hard, I looked right at the arrow, realizing this was most definitely a Telmarine or someone wanting to have my head.

This pushed me to go harder and faster through the trees, making sure to weave more often to make myself a moving and swerving target. This would make me less likely to be able to strike, but if there were more than one of them…it would be more difficult. Thinking I had lost them after several moments, I was able to allow myself some relief as I could see the river bridge up ahead through the thick trees.

But it was too good to be true, for in my way stood a Telmarine soldier, perched atop of his horse in the middle of the trail. Helmet over his head and sword drawn.

"If it isn't my parasite of a sister off to rescue her dear Caspian," a nasty smirk came to his face as he stood his ground and I was surrounded by a troop of Telmarine soldiers.

**Author's Note: Alright, so what do you guys think? Is it weird to think that I've only got a couple chapters left? Ahh, I won't mention that because it will be too weird not writing this story, but not to worry they will be quite long! There's still a lot of explaining to do...hehe. Thanks everyone who's left a review, voted in the poll...and all that jazz, I really really really appreciate it!**

**Happy Thursday!**

**Next update: Saturday Night.  
**


	22. You Again

**Author's Note: NOTHING IS MINE. EVERYTHING YOU RECOGNIZE=C.S. LEWIS, EVERYTHING YOU DON'T=ME**

Chapter Twenty-Two: You Again

A sigh escaped my lips as I looked past my brother to where the river bridge was, unfortunately I could see very little since I was still very far away, but I could see just enough. My eyes returned to my brother who still had his sword pointed directly at me and began dismounting his steed. I looked around to the troops surrounding us and slowly started to pull my own legs off of Kingslee. Ignoring the fact that Telmarines were all around me, I pulled my sword out to defend myself and felt as though the circle became smaller around me.

"And if it isn't my ignorant brother who would not know the truth if it came and slapped him across the face," I snarled back at him, tilting my sword at him.

His smirk on his lips grew as he took a couple steps toward me," I knew you'd come," he said, shaking his head as if he was ashamed of me," Stupid."

"You've quite the audacity to insult me, Jacob," I said to him with a raise of my brow," You know that we _were_ siblings just weeks ago."

Laughter came from him as he answered," A lot can change in just a matter of days, Rosalie," he told me as he took another step as we started to circle one another.

"Obviously so," I replied," For if these last few days had never happened, then we would never be actually circling one another in a real duel, now would we? In fact, we would never have said such insulting things about the other, correct?"

His smile disappeared," True," he said dryly while I stepped away from my brother who seemed to be closing in on me," However, I do not wish to speak with you on such matters. I did not come her to you in order to listen to you try and give me some sort of excuse."

I stared at him hard as the silence hung in the air for a few brief moments and to my surprise, he looked up at the three or four soldiers who had surrounded us," So, now gentlemen, if you will allow my sister and I some…privacy to settle this?"

One of the men looked at Jacob surprised," Your father said we are not to leave you for-"

Like an explosion, Jacob outburst," Am I my father? Is my father my keeper?" he yelled, his temper reminding me of father's," Leave, return to the battle now!"

"My lord-" the man tried arguing.

Jacob turned the tip of his blade from pointed straight at me to the man. He held the sharpened blade right to the man's chest," You will obey me."

The sight of my brother being such a menace should not have been a surprise for me, but yet it was unnerving for me to watch my brother threaten a man's life. Then again, he had just threatened my own and obviously wanted me dead, but it is still quite a sight to look at my own brother…my own innocent brother turning into our sadistic, greedy father. My heart broke even more as the man's eyes grew wider and he called the rest of the men to follow him as they tromped off into the woods back toward the battle.

"After you betrayed us, and have done such horrible things to destroy us, I asked father to be the one to kill you," his dark, menacing brown eyes shot back to mine, but then looked down at his sharp, silver blade as he spoke," After all that you've done to our family, I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

I wished that he would go ahead and get on with what he was doing. Of course, it bothered me greatly that he wished for my death and all, but I needed to get to Caspian. He could be dead by this time and if he was dead because of my idiotic brother, then I would have no problem slicing my own blade through Jacob…well, perhaps that was an over exaggeration, but I still did not want him causing someone else who I loved to die.

"I wish you would listen to me Jacob," I sighed, holding my blade steady," You have to know that this is not my fault-"

"Don't tell me that, Rosalie," he growled, his evil demeanor growing by the moment," Do not."

"What?" I shot back at him," Tell you the truth? Tell you that our father is really a greedy menace who deserves to be killed for the murder of not only King Caspian, but also mother and any other innocent Narnian? Is that not what you want to hear? Are you running from the truth Jacob?"

I didn't know where the words came from, but they surprised me as I listened to them. It was no surprise when I heard the cry come from his lips and he came running toward me, searching for my blood.

"Why is that?" I kept on, even as our blades intertwined with one another," Why do you _fear_ hearing me out?" I hissed at him as we fought.

There was no answer for the longest time, but only more strikes and wild swings from the both of us," Is it because you want to have father's approval?" I challenged," Is that what this is?"

There was still no answer to my question, but only the sound of metal on metal. A soft breeze blew through the forest air, but other than that there was nothing else to be heard. I continued talking to myself as my bloodthirsty brother continued fighting me with all of his strength in each blow.

"You know that I would never turn you in, you know that I would never do such a thing to you or mother and certainly not Penelope. You know that for a fact!" I growled at him as we stood at a cross-blades," You know that I would have been faithful to mother until the day she died, which actually could have been later had it not been for our wonderful father!"

For the first time, he looked straight into my eyes and growled," Mother's death was _your_ fault."

Our cross-blade was broken off as I stepped away from him and shook my head before answering incredulously," You really think that? That's what he has told you?"

"Had you never ran off to save your little Caspian, then she would have never been in any danger!" he snarled," We would still be together. Happy."

Unfortunately, this was true for the most part. I couldn't help but imagine what our life would have been like had I never ran away or had Caspian never been forced to leave, but there was more to mother's death than just my fault. Jacob was wrong in thinking he could guilt me in to going easy on him. How long would it have been before father would have discovered on his own, even with me there? How long would it have been before she was too much of an obstacle in his way to becoming King?

"No," I stood my ground, shaking my head," Father would have had her killed shortly anyways, Jacob. Can you honestly not see that?"

He came running at me again and I just barely missed a jab right through my side as I dodged him quickly before returning the attack and we circled each other once more. He met my glare again before replying to me.

A shake of his head told me his answer," I could never forgive you, Rosalie. Father was only doing legal matters by taking mother away, but had you never left-" his voice cracked," We wouldn't be doing this…we would be happy."

I took another wild swing at him, angry that he was not believing me. In my heart, I wanted to know why he was being so difficult and so stubborn about what he believed. Why couldn't he just come to see things from my point of view? Why did he have to be like this? Would he really kill me as he said he vowed to father? I missed horribly and as I missed, I felt his blade pierce my arm.

A scream slipped from my lips as my sword dropped from my grasp. His smile returned, but he slowly stepped away, while I was in such an extreme amount of pain. It was almost as though he wanted to make me suffer, make me feel the pain.

"You took everything, Rosalie," he snarled once more," You took away mother from me first and then Penelope. You were the reason our family broke apart, you and that-that _Caspian_. Ever since you came around, father always preferred you. You were always the favorite child, don't even deny it, Rosalie. He did everything with you and enjoyed it with you. Both you and I know he only did things with me because mother forced him to. There's no denying that."

I tried finding more words to come back," You know that's-"

Red warmness filled my entire arm as I tried to bend down to pick up my weapon once more. My brother had briefly turned his back and as swiftly as I could, I picked up my weapon once more as he turned back toward me. My arm screamed in pain and I could imagine that my face was pain-filled as well.

"You want me to talk?" he asked taking a step away," Then here's me talking. Here's me saying that you were always loved by dad and always got everything. Both you and Penelope. By me standing by father, I have someone. I still have a piece of my old family in me. I'm the favorite child now and, technically, in father's eyes his _only_ child since his other two have betrayed him. Can't you see why I _won't_ let you go get that scumbag, Caspian?"

The question floated about in the silent, tense air as we slowly put our weapons away from one another momentarily. I just looked at him blankly, unable to give him an answer.

"Because it was _him_ that broke us up. This is just as much your fault as his, don't mistake me, but _he_ is the root of it all. Before him,-" he continued insulting the prince who had already written his own death wish.

I couldn't stand listening to it anymore. The root of Jacob's actions was jealousy and greed. I shook my head in disgust and looked up to the skies for some sort of answer from anywhere that could explain why he was so bad. Why had I lost my brother? If this was how he wanted to be…and there was no changing him…then I had no connection to him any more.

He was not my brother, but merely another young man trapped in my brother's body.

"Enough!" I finally yelled," I say stop! If you want me dead, then kill me now, but do not stand there and preach what is false."

The words seemed to linger briefly before his eyes turned to rage once more and he raised his weapon. I felt my heart skip a beat as the tip of his blade was pointed straight toward my heart. I gulped…wondering if he would actually fulfill the promise that he had made to father…

He was running toward me, fast, but I was looking up to the sky for some sort of answer. Blind to anything happening around me. I can hardly describe the state that I was in while he came at me, but I felt wetness in my eyes and on my cheeks as I searched the clouds for answers of some sort. I did not know where Jacob was, but I heard a voice…a calming voice speak to me.

_Rosalie, you must fight. Trust your heart._

At the mention of trusting my heart, I remembered the horse that had rescued Edmund and I. I remembered the same words coming from its lips and then one thing came to my head.

"Aslan," I said softly as I came back to reality to find my brother almost piercing through my chest.

With no more than a second to spare, I stepped aside and, not being able to stop himself, he ran right by my, but his swing hardly missed my chest. As he passed, I turned and with my arm still screaming in pain, swiped at the back of his legs. My blade sliced right through, right to his skin and immediately, he let out a cry and fell to the ground, blood flooding from his legs. I raised my blade once more, tempting myself to finish this monster that had become my brother.

_Enough! Rosalie, he has been hurt enough!_

I didn't want to listen to the voice. I didn't want to listen to Aslan. By killing Jacob, wouldn't I be killing part of my father in a sense? Wouldn't I be finishing part of the cause that I hated so deeply? The moans coming from his mouth and cries of pain stopped me and the realization that I had just ruined my own sibling's ability to walk had sunk in. Slowly, I dropped my sword before putting it back in my sheath. I had to get away before I broke down right there, so I ran backwards, almost stumbling over my own feet as I scurried back toward the loyal Kingslee who stood waiting for me. I looked down at my arm, still oozing with blood and all sorts of dirt, but Caspian was still in danger. I couldn't allow him to die…not yet.

"Rosalie!" Jacob screamed in agony as I mounted Kingslee and kicked her," ROSALIE!" he screamed even louder.

I looked down at my injured brother and with a tear in my eye, I kicked Kingslee hard and we were speeding down the trail to the river bridge once more, trying to ignore the pain in both my arm and my heart.

* * *

Kingslee ran harder than she had ever ran before. Or so it felt. The wind running through my tangled, messy hair pressed me forward in order to save the prince once more. Nothing else was on my mind other than getting him out of my father's clutches because nothing in my mind argued that my father would not kill Caspian. I was praying all the way that I would be lucky and be able to catch him quickly. I was not extremely far away whenever I had a run in with Jacob, but I didn't know exactly what to expect from this point on.

"C'mon girl, we've almost made it!" I cheered quietly to my mare, eyeing the roaring waters flowing under the bridge.

In fact, I could see my companion standing alone on the bridge. Kingslee sped up almost instantly as we saw him. It felt like only seconds before we broke through the thick of the trees and were finally in the open at the shore of the river. Caspian's head shot over to see me and Kingslee show up and immediately I threw myself off of my mare. I ran through the soft ground around the riverbed until I was finally atop of the bridge with Caspian.

"Rosalie?" he looked at me incredulously as I threw myself into his arms, tears flowing from my eyes," What in the world are you doing here?"

No words could come to my mouth, but knowing that he was not dead was all I needed to feel as I slowly felt his arms close in around me. I couldn't pinpoint my feelings and I definitely wasn't thinking about anything that Susan had told me, but all I knew was that it felt wonderful to have my childhood friend, alive and in my grasp.

"Don't ever leave like that, _ever_ again," I sobbed into his chest as he rested his hand on my back.

I heard a sigh escape his lips before he answered," I'll make sure to let you know of my plans next time."

My head rested on his chest, I listened to his heart beat, ensuring me that he was still alive and that my fears of him being dead were not true. Slowly, I broke away the embrace, but felt his hands slowly moving over to my arms, gripping them firmly," Caspian," I said his name softly, tears still streaming down my face," I'm sorry. For-for everything and I forgive you for everything. P-please, can-"

"Shh," he silenced me calmingly, looking right into my eyes," You don't have to say another word."

The thought of him dying came to my head once more and he pulled me into another embrace as the tears came flowing again. Horror filled my thoughts to think that I could have lost him still with a bitter chip on my shoulder, without ever really apologizing for the silliness that we had been apart of for seemingly forever. Things may never be the way they were again, but at least we were on the right track.

"You are injured," he said after a few more moments, knowing what he was referring to.

"Oh, that's-" I started to explain with a sniffle, but soon enough we were interrupted.

All I could hear was the sound of a horse's whinny before looking up to see my father coming across the bridge. I wiped away a stray tear on my face and stood closer to Caspian, feeling more protected beside him.

"A wound, perhaps from where you disabled your own brother?" he shot at me, his dark eyebrows raising slightly.

Caspian pulled an arm around me protectively as my father stepped closer, we took steps back toward the other side of the bridge. Step by step, I got even more nervous at what father planned to do.

"Just what was your plan once you got through him, Rosalie?" he asked," I'd be delighted to know."

There was a burning in my heart. I felt something that I hadn't ever felt before as my father walked closer to me. I hadn't any clue what it was, but I knew that change was on its way. On that day, my father and I would share one last conversation before the other was gone. Pure hatred burned as he got closer and the memories came flooding back. Seeing mother so badly beaten in her cell and then remembering my sister retell of her murder…my sister crying desperately for me to come back to her…the sight of Caspian running away for the first time and my crying for his return.

Then, for some reason, when I looked into his eyes I thought of Peter. I thought of Peter fighting so hard against Miraz to protect us against the greed of him and the awful things that could become if men like him ever were to become King. Then I looked up at Caspian, the next King of Narnia. The one who was the true heir to the throne and although I didn't know exactly how the whole Pevensie and Caspian as rulers would work out, it was still a peace to me to think that all of this would work out in the end.

This was it.

This was the beginning of the end and the going was about to get much more difficult.

**Author's Note: Okay, so it's technically not Saturday Night anymore, but hey close enough right? Anyways, I enjoyed writing this chapter and by the way I've got it set up I've got two-maybe (and just **_**maybe**_**) three chapters left. They will be quite lengthy...rest assured.** **Ahh, that sounds so weird saying it…but-yeah, so enjoy this guys! Last I checked, there were 98 reviews (woo-hoo!) let's break 100 (which I know we can do!).**

**Just a warning, from here on out I'm not really following the movie. It's going to be just a tad different, just a warning…haha. Love you guys, thanks for everything!**


	23. Lord Sopespian

**Author's Note: It's all C.S. Lewis's, I only own parts of it.**

Chapter Twenty-Three: Lord Sopespian

My father stepped closer to the two of us and I slowly slid my arms off of Caspian, setting my gaze strictly on my father. Defensively, I took a couple steps back as my father came closer for my blood began boiling. I couldn't help but feel an unbearable anger toward him.

"I don't think my plan is of any use to you," I said to him, trying to sound as calm as I could, but my fury was hard to conceal.

A small smile came to his lips as he tried to be warming," Oh, Rosalie. Darling, come now and be cordial to your old father," suddenly his smile disappeared and he growled," It's the last chance you'll get."

Before I could say another word, I felt Caspian step forward beside me and I slightly groaned to myself. He didn't have the tendency to make the best choices when it came to these sorts of things so I prayed that he was not still planning on sacrificing himself," She is not the one that has come to make the deal with you."

His brow raised as he looked over at the prince," But she has come. Why else would she come other than to move on with this deal?"

"Perhaps, you should let her speak for herself," I stated, taking a step forward alongside Caspian," And I'll have you know that the reason I came here was to _stop_ this barbarous deal," with that being said, I shot Caspian a sideward glare.

"Trouble in paradise, eh?" my father asked with some humor in his voice," Is that what I'm sensing?"

Caspian looked right at me, hardly acknowledging my father as he whispered hoarsely," I had to try something…"

"Something reckless?" I whispered back at him sharply," You know he would never keep his word."

This was not the time nor the place for Caspian and I to have this argument, but it was hard to resist keeping my anger toward him for making me such a nervous wreck. We should have been bringing down my father, but it was there that we chose to start our argument.

"You know that we don't have those types of numbers Rosalie and I had to doubt whether or not Aslan would actually be found, which we can still see that he hasn't," Caspian shot right back at me," There's also another reason-"

"Caspian-" I started again, but this time it was my father who interrupted us.

"As much as I'd hate to interrupt this little…_spat_, I've a battle to win and a throne that is calling my name," he said with a sudden seriousness to his voice," So the sooner, I am rid of the both of you-the sooner I can achieve my rightful place in this kingdom."

Instantly, we both watched as my father placed his hand on the hilt of his blade before drawing it sharply. There was obviously no more emotional attachment between he and I nor he and Caspian. As he had stated, we were only objects that were in his way of becoming king.

"You're disgusting," I spat at him before drawing my own sword," What you've done to us all. To mother, mostly, but what you did to Jacob was equally wrong and sickening. The poor boy is confused and hurt yet he thinks that I have caused all of the pain. Which both you and I know is a lie."

As I made the comment all I could see was a smirk on his face while he took a step forward," Darling, I believe you are sadly confused beyond the point of healing."

I shook my head, tempted to say more, but was unable to.

Caspian then took a step ahead of me once more, pulling his sword out of his hilt," You helped in the killing of my father."

He released a sigh," Caspian, please, boy you must know this is nothing personal. This is merely a matter of…" he contemplated his choice of words as he gazed on the tip of his silver blade," Business."

"A corrupted sort of business," he snarled as we got closer.

"Ahh, but let me remind you that it was just the sort of businessman you were willing to make a deal with just moments ago before your sweet little angel came flying over to your rescue," Sopespian spat back as the tension grew even thicker.

Then, everything seemed to happen at once. The greedy man came running toward us before either one of us could say another word. His blade came down hard over Caspian's. Quickly, I slid my own blade in to the action. I had never experienced such an awkward style of duel before, but with every strike I felt like I was helping in bringing down a force that I wanted gone for so long. Every dodge from his blade encouraged me to fight harder.

Swing after swing we seemed to go on forever, careful not to slip off the edge of the wide bridge into the white water below. After a long time of hard, strenuous strikes, we all seemed to back away from the action, breathing hard.

"I have to say," my father said with a pant," The both of you have improved…greatly."

Caspian and I looked at each other before saying anything else," We've only you to thank," Caspian answered, a taste of sarcasm in his voice which forced me to smile.

There was no humor in my father's face as he tried catching his breath. It was tempting for me not to go running toward him right there and destroy this force that had ruined my life. It was hard for me to keep myself contained. It was hard to stand there and say nothing to Caspian about my father's physical condition at its weakest.

"Caspian," I whispered, barely audible to myself even, perhaps I was more tired than I thought.

Miraculously, he looked at me, still trying to catch his own breath.

"This…is…our….chance," I mumbled, so quietly that once more, I could hardly hear my own voice.

The look in his eyes was the same look in his eyes that I saw as a young girl sneaking around the castle late at night, debating whether or not to run through the hallway or wait and saunter on back to our quarters. The look always assured me to go for it…no matter the case...it was always the same.

Together, as my father stood, weapon unsteady and low, we began running toward him. The excitement of taking him by surprise was soon replaced by a different feeling as the seemingly unprepared man swiftly sliced his sword upward without even looking. The blade pierced right through Caspian's forearm, causing him to drop his weapon and stumble backward.

A cry came from the prince's mouth from his place on the river bridge behind where my father and I stood a blade's length apart.

Chuckling, my father turned the, now slightly bloodied blade over to me," Clever, very clever."

"Caspian," I shot my head back toward him, but had little time to express concern for my father came running at me, bloodthirsty, just as Jacob had been.

"Rosalie, don't worry about me!" I heard him groan a slight notion of pain as the clink of metal filled my ears once more.

"You know," my father said over the blade," I've been waiting for this day for a long time now."

I hit him back hard with my blade as we circled each other," Have you now?" I spat back at him clashing my blade against his and we stood at a cross-blade.

"Very much so," he said bringing another smirk to his face," Very much so."

"As have I," I growled and with a new force pulled back my sword and stumbled backward, trying to catch my balance from the breaking apart.

He came storming toward me quickly," You've done nothing, but stand in the way of my plan."

His strength was great as he slammed, with all of his force, against my blade, almost causing my wrist to snap over. My balance was thrown off again as he hit me hard, both hands strong on his sword. For the first time, I felt just as I did the first time I battled Peter. The first time I battled him, I fell. I fell hard and with one more slam to my blade, I had fallen once more down to my knees as my blade flew out of my hand and over to the opposite side of the river bridge near Caspian.

I looked up into my father's eyes and saw no mercy, but merely tried to get him talking," Father-"

"Don't speak to me, Rosalie!" he screamed, raising his blade high, my eyes following it all the way," Unless…unless you want to admit that you were wrong this whole time. You can still come back-"

I raised my hands slowly into the air and shook my head, preparing myself for what was to come," I could never do that. Not after what you did to Jacob. How you have destroyed Penelope's childhood…how you _killed_ your own wife and mother of all three of your children," I snarled at him, hardly caring if he dropped the blade…he needed to hear it. He needed to have his sins replayed to him," Not only that, but you also robbed another family of happiness…that family being the Caspians."

"Your mother and the Caspians-"

"Just admit it," I spat," You killed them solely to aid yourself and yourself only."

His blade dropped lower and his voice cracked," I did it for _you_. So that you and Jacob and Penelope could rule one day…to make our name the royal one," he was trying so hard to fight his evil, but it was a battle he would never win.

"Don't try and tell me that," I said incredulously," Don't even try. This is a lie that you've created just to make yourself be able to sleep at night."

There was a pause as he looked straight in my eyes, sword still held high. I realized it was there and I realized that death stood right in front of me, but I didn't care. I wanted him to know what a monster he really was," You are a sick, greedy, _murderer_."

He looked up and away and I could almost see a tear in his eye, but he was struggling all the way. Sweat began dripping down his face while his arm holding the weapon shook greatly. After a few moments, he looked right back at me," I'm sorry," then I watched as he once more raised the sword high over his head and began to swing it down hard to finish me.

I shut my eyes closed and prepared myself for the pain that I was about to experience and the death that awaited me. I was hoping it would happen fast so I wouldn't have to suffer for long and think about all my loved ones left, however when I slid my eyes open ever so briefly, I saw a man who had blood spilling out of his mouth and heard the sound of his sword clatter on the ground. Shaking, I slowly dropped my arms down and watched as my father slipped into the water…dead with a sword through his back…_my_ sword through his back.

My eyes moved upward to the wielder of my sword, Caspian," Thank you," I said hoarsely, still shaking at the fact that Lord Sopespian, my father was dead and floating away with the stream.

His steady hand grabbed my shaking hand and pulled me to my feet," No," he said sternly," Thank you."

A silence hung over us again as I stood close to the prince who I had called my companion my whole life. Why would he try and do something like this? Didn't he know that he would surely be killed? Didn't he know that would happen? I couldn't find an answer from my own logic, but this was not the time for us to discuss anything. There was a battle taking place back at the How and it was because of us…we at least owed them an appearance.

I slowly untangled my hand from his, but kept my gaze locked on his," Listen, I know that we need to talk about all of this…I know that, but…now is just not the time."

He nodded his head, understanding completely what I was telling him," Of course," he said softly as I started to turn away from him to get mount Kingslee, who had seemed to wander upstream a little ways," But Rosalie-"

At the sound of his voice, I turned back toward him," Yes?" I asked, raising my brow.

"You have to know why I did this-" he started, but I shook my head, trying to shush him.

"Caspian, I swear we will talk about it…just not now…there's probably a battle because I doubt the Telmarines kept their words-" the words spilled out of my mouth, but he wasn't hearing my impatient argument as I tried pulling him away toward Kingslee.

"Rosalie," he said more forcefully, grabbing my arm, his grasp tight," I thought that I could trick your father. I thought that maybe…by some power I could bring an end to him so that you would be safe. I wasn't actually turning myself in to him Rosalie, I wanted to bring an end to him…for Penelope…but for _you_."

I felt as thought my heart stopped beating while he spoke. I couldn't bear to look at him again for an intense rush of guilt flooded through my veins. Guilt for ever thinking such horrid thoughts about the boy who had always been there for me…guilt for not being there for him as of late…guilt for shutting him out.

"Caspian," I whispered, my voice still hoarse," You could have-"

"Please don't say what could have happened because that's over now, as you said before we've a battle to go to," he interrupted, dropping my arm.

I couldn't find any words, but only stared right at him as he walked around me and began calling Kingslee to him. My feet stayed planted on the bridge as I watched the river roar underneath.

"Rosalie?" he asked me after several moments passed," The battle?"

Still contemplating, I didn't reply. Thoughts kept racing through my head of how rude I had been to Caspian…and then at that moment…it hit me. The words that Susan said to me just as I was racing out of the How. The words that I had forced myself to think of as merely just a lie. The words that I had blocked out of my head over the last couple of hours.

_Caspian has always loved you._

"Caspian?" I wasn't really directing the comment at him, it mostly just slipped out of my thoughts, but nonetheless, he answered from his perch on Kingslee.

"Yes?" he asked, slightly irritated as I finally turned and started walking toward him.

He loved Susan. Not me. That was just ridiculous...maybe she was only trying to provide a comfort for me since she might have thought that I still had feelings for him tucked away somewhere and only wanted to provide some comfort for me before I left for my suicide mission. Plus, there was no way I could have returned these nonexistent feelings…because of Peter…right?

I approached Kingslee slowly and as I did, I met the prince's eyes once more before throwing my legs over," Why would you do this for me? I have been nothing but awful to you for seemingly forever now."

This was his opportunity to confirm what Susan had said. This was my opportunity to hear the truth.

He pulled me up on the horse and just as I was getting my leg over he kicked Kingslee into motion and we were flying through the woods once more. I couldn't see the expression on his face for I was behind him, but I had soon figured that he was not going to answer me. We rode in silence through most of the woods and just as we were arriving at the scene of the battle, I received an answer.

Just at the tree line, he stopped the horse and climbed off. He patted Kingslee once before grabbing my sword out of his hilt and handing it to me. While grabbing my blade, he looked right at me once more.

"Rosalie Sopespian," he said, I don't think I had ever heard him say my full name before," There are some things that I did to you as a child that I probably could have gone without doing such as chasing you even when I knew you didn't want me to or pulling your hair when you weren't looking. Yet, even though you hated both of those things, you still forgave me soon and it was always a relief to my heart to know that my best friend had forgiven me. As we grew older, our problems have seemingly grown in importance. All of this is not a matter of pulled hair, but a matter of life or death."

He shook his head, from what appeared to be, in shame before continuing," And the thought that I would be so stupid as to put your life at risk is something that I cannot live with. The thought of you never forgiving me…is absolutely horrible because you are my best friend. The thought that I would shut you out because of another girl bothers me beyond description. I didn't understand these feelings for you Rosalie until I heard that there was still a hope that you would not resent me forever."

I gulped, knowing what he was about to say.

"Forgive me, but I couldn't help but overhear you say that there was still room in your heart for me. I know it was none of my business, but now, right here, this is my last chance to try and convince you that I was wrong in leaving you to your death. I was wrong in leading you to believe that I was choosing Susan over you for I never was. Susan is a wonderful girl, but by spending time with her…it has showed me how much I miss you. I was wrong for _everything_, and that is the reason why I did this for you because I owe it to you. Because it has been you all along that makes me happy and my life as of late without you…has not been a life that I enjoy."

Amazement flushed all over me, but he wasn't done yet. I could hardly believe any of this was coming out of his mouth.

"And now, I couldn't ask an answer from you. I could never ask for you to give your love back to me because I know that you are confused as well, just as I was. I know that you've feelings for the High King, feelings for him that are probably stronger than your feelings for me, but I can only pray that you are hearing me out and that you will truly forgive me one last time before we go to the battle that could bring the death of the both of us."

There was really no words that I could have said that would have been appropriate, so I grabbed the sword from him and looked at the blade as I heard him grab his sword. Blood from my father still dripped at the tip of the sword and ran down the length of the blade. My gaze was looking for Caspian again, but he was already gone. He was off to battle for the land that he loved.

And I was following in his footsteps, his words still echoing through my head and heart. _No one _had ever told me such passionate words before. He didn't want me to answer because he was afraid of what I was to say. He was afraid of my answer…he was afraid that I would say that I loved Peter.

But, what he didn't know was that my heart was willing to forgive...

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait guys! I know it's getting toward the end and this is when I should be updating a lot (which is what I had originally planned), but school has objected to that idea…go figure right? Anyways, I'm going to try and catch up on my writing during my day off tomorrow…woo-hoo! Enjoy this long(er) chapter!**

**Thank you everyone!**

**Next Update: Monday-Tuesday-ish, we shall see. I can promise I won't make you wait as long as I did this time. :)  
**


	24. The Battle and the Lion

Author's Note: Obviously, I don't own anything. Narnia=property of C.S. Lewis.

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Battle and the Lion

Quickly, I jumped off of Kingslee and sprinted as hard as I could to catch up with Caspian. There may have been a battle going on, but there was no way that I was going to allow him to walk away from me after saying that. If something were to happen to him, then I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that I never apologized to him.

"Caspian!" I yelled as I ran as fast as I could to catch up with him," Caspian!"

He didn't turn around to see me, but merely kept on walking, determined on his own mindset.

I could see that from the battle in the distance, It appeared that the plan to collapse the ground from under the Telmarines had already happened and that many men had fallen into the trap, but there were still plenty of others in combat versus the Narnians. The How appeared to still be standing, but it was damaged greatly, probably because of the large slingshots that looked as though they could have thrown a rock the size of a castle.

Still, I continued running until I was close enough to grab his arm. I clasped my hand tightly around his heavily armored forearm, forcing him to at least slow," Please, Rosalie, I already-" he tried to argue.

"No," I commanded him, once more looking straight at him," I cannot let you leave me without my telling you that I was just as wrong as you were, if not more. I was atrocious and for that….I am sorry."

Before he could answer, another rock was slung back and sent barreling through the air, crumbling another section of the How. It was the interruption of what seemed to be the perfect moment for re-mending, but we both knew what we had to do. As if on cue, we both drew our weapons once more and charged forward.

"Later?" he asked, looking at me sideways.

"Later," I confirmed, setting my eyes on the battle ahead.

I had never been in battle before and the closest I had been in was a duel, which didn't hardly count for much. As we got closer to the sharp swords and steady shields, my heart felt as though it was going to explode and I could hardly determine if it was because of nerves or excitement, but eventually decided that it was a good combination of the both.

"You are sure that you are ready for this sort of combat?" Caspian called to me as we continued to inch our way closer.

I glanced at him sideways," You know I'm a horrible shot with a bow, so I guess this is what's left."

He chuckled and shook his head, knowing that trying to convince me to sit out was unreasonable," Very true, but a bow is safer."

"I don't think that word is very applicable to my life, don't you think?" I countered, teasing him slightly.

"Touché, Rosalie," he said with a good-humored roll of his eyes.

Then, with smiles planted on both of our faces, we entered the battle. It seemed to come up like a brick wall for before I knew it, I was forcing my blade into a Telmarine trying to climb his way out of the hole. Soon, I realized that I had lost place of Caspian and was alone, taking wild swings at Telmarines from all around me. Adrenaline began pumping throughout my veins and it was hard to keep track of everything going on around me. Being in a battle was basically like dueling more than one person at once and having to dodge all of their shots. It was one of the most strenuous things I had ever experienced and I could soon feel drops of sweat spilling from my pores. The more I fought, the less I was able to draw similarities between dueling and this.

Here and there, I found that some of the men's swipes would catch my arm or leg and gently slice the armor on the outer layers of my clothes, but there was too much going on elsewhere to hardly pay attention to such minor defects. I still had to be wary of the arm that Jacob had deeply wounded for the blood had clotted, but it was sticky, sore, and still stinging slightly. If the wound on my hand was badly infected, then that one would most definitely be infected.

After fighting my way through several different conflicts, some of which were too close for my liking, I made my way back toward the How to see if I could find anyone who would have any knowledge of battle plans because it appeared that we were still falling short in many areas. Trying my best, I sprinted back toward the columns where the duel between Peter and Miraz had taken place.

Once I arrived there, I noticed that Peter and Edmund were nearby fighting hard, but it was most definitely not an appropriate time for me to go spitting questions out at them. I hardly had time to think before more Telmarines were charging toward me once more. The continuous process of dueling time and time again was rather grueling, but I found out that if even one step was out of place…then I would be gone.

I fended for myself best as I could before I realized that I was nearly surrounded by them and could hardly defend myself alone any longer. My eyes glanced out to see that an entire swarm of Telmarines were lining up in war formation farther out in the fields and they looked strong. If not, stronger than the ones that we were still currently fighting. Though my hope was diminishing, I had to force myself to keep it strong.

Finally, I was able to make an out for myself by stabbing one of the larger men that stood behind me. Swiftly, I was able to push the shield of the falling man upwards against the jaw of the other. I was actually slightly impressed with that move and wished that I could have repeated it, but I knew that I'd probably never remember how to do that again if my life depended on it.

Finding that I had just made an out for myself, I continued running backward to where Peter was calling a retreat.

"Peter!" I cried from where I stood and began running toward him," Peter!"

His head shot over to me as I came running toward him. He smiled slightly, but the smile did not last for long because another large boulder was sent spiraling through the air, its impact with the How was atrocious. Though the army had followed his instructions to retreat back to the How, it hardly mattered now for the impact had caused the rock to fall into the entrance of the How, making it impossible to enter. The old rock structure slowly crumbled similar to the way my heart felt.

My breathing slowed as I watched the huge boulders block the entrance. I swallowed hard before looking back at the fresh army approaching our, already weakened forces.

That was when it hit me.

"Penelope," I whispered at first, but then found myself searching in Peter's eyes for some sort of answer as I screamed," Penelope! My sister is still in there!"

His eyes appeared forlorn and saddened as he looked at the boulders. I knew that he wanted to tell me something and wanted to provide me with comfort, but all he could do was re-draw his weapon," We've got to go back and fight."

He started to turn his back once more, but I couldn't re-draw my sword," Peter!" I yelled again.

Quickly, he turned back around before pushing on and yelled," There's nothing we can do!"

I know that he didn't mean for his tone to sound so harsh, but it most definitely did. The last of my family had just died…and he was running off to fight the rest of the Telmarines off. I shouldn't have expected that there was anything he could do, but I had at least hoped he would try and show some sympathy. But then again…had I not decided long ago that he was willing to do anything for his people?

Slowly, I forced myself to turn from the sight. I forced myself to hold back the tears for I knew that I could not shut down on the Narnians. I knew that Peter was right, but the stray tear could not stay contained in my eye.

Edmund, however, had noticed my pain and just as we were turning to re-enter the battle once more, he said to me," Look up."

Confused, I searched his face for some sort of explanation, but he pointed to the top layer of the archery on the How. I forced my eyes upward and searched the faces of every one of the archerers trying to keep their balance atop of the layer that seemed to falling apart right under their feet. I watched as most of them scurried down and began entering the battle alongside us and the last one…was a little shorter than the others. I noticed a long, dark brown pony tail coming down the side of her body and immediately, a sigh of relief came over me.

"Thank you," I whispered to Edmund, knowing that my sister may have been placing herself in danger (and I was furious with her for disobeying me the first time) once more, but at least she was alive and still had a chance at survival.

He returned with a crooked smile and we soon turned to return to the battle once again. Susan soon joined us as we pushed forward," Your little sister has quite the shot."

I looked at the Queen," Unfortunately, as you can see, she can't seem to stay out of the action. Or do as she's told, for that matter."

"Hmm," Susan mumbled to herself as we walked," Sounds like someone else we know," she flashed a small smile at me before walking ahead of us.

With a smile on my face, I said to her, trying to change the subject," You think we've any chance at this, honestly?"

The smile faded on her face as she now wore a more serious expression," Our only hope is Lucy. This whole time we have basically been stalling and as you can see, our time is just about up. Aslan has to intervene."

I nodded and then she kept on walking forward, grabbing her bow as she did. Peter and Caspian were much farther up ahead, already in battle once more with the stray men who had survived the first round. I was hardly able to pay any attention to them for much longer because I was met early by a large group of men from the first round as well. Eagles flew over head, carrying dwarfs with arrows to go and lessen some of the Telmarines numbers, but they were destroyed soon by the boulders being tossed through the air at them. Edmund stayed close by my side and we fought together against the men.

On Edmund's side, he appeared to be struggling with one of the men who was particularly bulky. Had I been dueling the man, I probably would have fallen quickly and Edmund appeared to be holding up as best he could, but he most definitely needed some assistance. Just as I was stepping forward to assist, an arrow pierced right through the man's jaw.

Shocked both Edmund and I looked to right to see just who made the shot.

"Penelope?" I asked, wanting to yell at her for disobeying me, but also wanting to praise her for such precise aim.

She came closer, looking at us as if we were crazy before pulling another arrow out," What?"

"You-I told you not to-" I stuttered, unable to get passed the fact that my sister had just shot a man through the jaw.

"Watch out!" she commanded as she stepped to the side and shot another arrow right into a soldier charging toward us," Seriously, Rosalie, if all you want to do is talk and stare at me, I wouldn't recommend," she pulled out another arrow and quickly shot," being out here."

Shaking my head, still in disbelief, I shot a look at the equally shocked Edmund before returning my attention to the battle at hand. The army approaching was practically on us and many centaurs and other creatures had attempted to breach their front lines, but their shields defending them were much too strong. We came to the edge of where the ground had collapsed and noticed that there were still some soldiers down in the gaping hole in the ground.

As my eyes scanned the crowd, I noticed that Caspian had somehow ended up down there and Glozelle stood above him, spear raised high over his head. I gasped and began trying to think of anything that I could do, but before I could I heard Penelope pulling out another arrow. I stopped her before she could fire," Wait, Penelope."

I didn't know what was stopping me, but it was almost as though there was a grumbling in the ground…something was telling me not to allow her to send that arrow through the air. She looked at me as though I was crazy and started to argue, but before she could say anymore a tree root burst through the ground and pulled Glozelle away.

The trees?

I shot a look over to Edmund, who looked just as puzzled as I," What-"

He looked straight back at me as tree roots started bursting out of the ground, left and right and rushing toward the Telmarine lines. In awe, I stood watching as the trees around us literally came to life and began walking around, crushing Telmarine men. Boulders were being thrown at them, but hardly anything could stop them from pressing forward.

"Aslan."

I realized that Aslan had saved my life and I also realized that we had basically planned our whole battle plan around him, but the idea that he had actual...helped...and was saving us...was mind blowing.

As we charged them, trees and all, the Telmarines started retreating back toward the river bridge. I looked up every so often to peer into the tall branches of the trees that had come to life. Of course, as children we had always pretended that trees could walk and talk, but this was a real-life walking, talking, fighting trees on our side. Nevertheless, that didn't mean we were totally out of the woods yet. We ran hard and fast to try and catch up with them, but it wasn't until we almost were at the river bridge that we caught up with the army who had, strangely enough, stopped at the edge of the bridge.

At the other side of the bridge, I saw Lucy. She was standing alone, but the only thing in her hand appeared to be a small dagger. I found it odd that she thought that by standing there alone. It surprised me that Peter or Edmund or Susan didn't do something to try and coax her off the bridge…but then again…what could they do? Was this some sort of a plan that I did not know of?

For a couple of moments, the Telmarines stood there, just as shocked as the rest of us.

Then suddenly, a lion appeared by her side.

A lion that could be no other than Aslan himself.

I felt a shudder run through my body at the sight of the majestic creature and all of the Telmarines seemed to share this awestruck. From the mouth of the lion, came one of the most powerful roars I had ever heard. I felt as though the land would shake beneath my feet and I could hear the sounds of rushing waters from upstream.

The Telmarines were growing tired of standing around. I heard from the front, a cry to make them move forward and then suddenly the men charged forward over the bridge, but they were not able to beat the water for it was most definitely alive. I could not believe my eyes for the water had turned in to some sort of a man that was taller than any creature I had seen before. He stood tall and as he rose high above the ground, he picked up the piece of the bridge that the Telmarines had entered onto.

Horses and men stood atop of the bridge that seemed to be floating in the man of water's hands. They were frantically calling and scurrying about, but soon the man came crashing down and took out the bridge and many men with him. The Telmarines were destroyed once and for all. Some of them lingered, but soon they were surrounded and forced to drop all weapons.

Still in shock, slowly Edmund, Penelope, and I made our way toward the lion and Lucy, where they stood on the shore as the Narnians continued to surround the Telmarines and strip them of their weapons. I slowly tucked my sword into its sheath, as did Edmund, and Penelope put her bow back into its place. We soon met up with the equally amazed, Susan, Peter, and Caspian.

"Just what was that?" Susan asked Peter just as we entered into the conversation.

Peter shook his head in disbelief," I think it's best that we not question Aslan on this one."

As we migrated closer to Aslan, I felt Penelope tug at my arm. They continued walking and I thought that it might have been best that they have some time to speak with Aslan alone.

Penelope and I stepped aside briefly," Yes?"

"I hope you're not too mad at me," she said quietly walking toward the river.

I recollected on everything that had happened and let out a sigh," How could I stay mad at you for that? Really…had you listened to me…you might not be here to tell the story."

She looked at me with wide eyes," You really mean that?"

I nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder," Why, of course I do. It's a little silly for me to think that I can just control you…you are growing up pretty fast, you know."

She rolled her eyes," Ughh, you sound like mom-" she cut herself off at the mention of mother and looked at me wide eyed before shooting her eyes away, obviously the thought of mother hurting her.

"It's fine," I assured her, but I saw a tear fall from her eye as she collapsed into my arms," Shh, Penelope."

She continued sobbing and I ran my hand up and down her back, trying to provide a source of comfort for her. She cried until it seemed her eyes could produce no tears and I stood there just as a comfort to her," I'm such a baby," she muttered as she finally backed away, wiping away a tear," I don't think I'm as grown up as you give me credit for."

A small laugh escaped my lips," No, I am sure that the little sister I knew before all of this would have never dared shoot an arrow through a man's jaw to save someone."

She shook her head," That was-"

"Amazing," I finished for her," That takes a lot of courage and bravery. Plus, when did you ever get so skilled with a bow?"

She smiled and then chuckled through the tear," Well, when you were gone, you didn't think that I just sat around and did nothing, did you? I took up a liking for archery."

"That's great," I told her, then my voice grew softer," And I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you learn."

"That's fine," she said, her voice rather chipper, surprisingly," I don't think we will ever have to worry about anything with them again. At least...I hope not, father is...," she looked at me, searching for the right word.

"You won't be worrying of him any more," I assured her, the image of our dead father flashing back to my head and even though I claimed that he was no longer my father...I couldn't help but mourn for the loss of the man he used to be.

With a tear building in my eye at the memory of all of our good times with father, I opened my mouth to say something else to my sister, but someone else had joined the conversation.

"Rosalie?" a voice asked from behind me, I looked to see Peter," Aslan requests to see you. Sorry, if I am interrupting anything."

"Oh, no!" Penelope chipped in, stepping away from me, trying to hide the sadness in her voice as well," You're interrupting nothing, nothing at all!"

I smiled at her before turning my gaze to Peter, also trying to hide my tears," Thank you."

He looked at me hard, knowing that something was not right before reluctantly turning away to speak with some of the other Narnians. I looked down at Penelope one last time," Are you alright for now?"

She nodded and without another word turned away.

I made my way upstream a little ways, where the lion stood, waiting for me. No other creature compared to the looks of this gallant being. Suddenly, I felt the nerves of coming near him disappear the closer I got and found this rather odd. My faith in this lion had been no more than the smallest of faiths, but as I stood in front of him...how could I not believe in this beast?

"Welcome Rosalie," the lion's voice greeted me, the sound of his voice sounded so mighty and strong.

"T-thank you," I stuttered, hardly able to muster words to speak to him.

There was a silence for a moment as I stood awkwardly beside the lion who appeared to be looking out over the river before finally turning his gaze to me," Come, child, and walk with me."

Slowly, the lion changed direction and began walking upstream. I followed closely, my heart feeling as though it was beating out of my chest as we walked in silence.

"Rosalie, you know that I have been very impressed with you ever since you were a young child?" he told me, almost like a father would tell a daughter.

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, finding his statement somewhat surprising. Still, I kept silent for I felt like there was more that he had to say.

"I was impressed at the fact that you were so bold and brave to stand up for whatever and whoever you loved. Even at such a young age, you were always very protective of your younger sister and of Caspian, your closest companion. I was always very impressed with that and even as you grew up, many a time you would sacrifice yourself for someone else. This is a hard trait to come across," the lion continued speaking as we walked farther upstream.

Still, I found that it would have been awkward for me to make a comment so I continued to listen.

"And even though you have a tendency to be reckless and at times, stubborn, I have always made sure that no harm ever came to you, but this was not the reasoning for my requesting your presence. Perhaps, I am rambling," he explained to me, looking up at me ever so briefly.

"I do not mind," I said with a smile and looked into the face of the peaceful lion and asked,"But why have you requested that I come here?"

"I want to inform you of something that might be of great importance to you," he said to me, as I continued to look him over.

"And what might that be?" I asked, as we slowly continued walking.

"I know that you have found a liking in the Pevensie children and from what I can see, they have almost become like a family to you," he told me and I nodded in agreement.

"This would be accurate," I said before he continued.

"Which is what makes this even more difficult," he said with a sigh.

I furrowed my brows and studied the lion," What is it that you wish to tell me?"

"You've read about the Pevensies ever since you were a child and have always dreamed of being able to go on adventures with them and you have been able to live that dream now, do you realize this?" he asked me, looking directly at me.

The lions warm eyes seemed to melt my own. I thought about all that I had been through with the Pevensies and I had always dreamt of going on an adventure like them. I hadn't really thought much of it, but it would have been accurate to say that I received my childhood dream.

"Yes," I said quietly, still not fully understanding.

He sighed once more, fighting with himself over the correct choice of words," I am sending the Pevensies home, Rosalie."

His words hit me hard. I hadn't really realized that the Pevensies had a home other than Narnia. They just fit in so well…I couldn't imagine a Narnia without at least one of them in it. Then, I pictured Peter…oh not Peter. Even though my heart was beginning to make amends with Caspian, that didn't mean that I had forgotten about Peter. In fact, I most definitely still had feelings for him tucked away in my heart. He couldn't just leave…but surely…they would come back.

Surely...Aslan was leading up to something else.

I nodded my head, trying to make it seem like I understood," Temporarily?"

He looked back at me again," For the younger two, yes. However, Susan and Peter have learned all that they can learn from Narnia."

My heart stopped.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice raising, trying to fight back tears," This is their home."

He shook his head," Their home is a place much more dangerous than here, Rosalie. Narnia has only been a place for them to learn lessons that can help them prepare for their battles on Earth, where they are from."

I couldn't help the tears falling once more from my eyes. They burst out hard and fast; I couldn't stop them. The thought of losing all four of the Pevensies…was awful and I didn't understand why they had to go. Perhaps, the younger two would come back, but the thought of never seeing Peter or Susan again was painful.

"I wanted you and Caspian to learn from their example and leadership, Rosalie," he told me, still trying to be a comfort to me," Please, try and understand what they have to go back to and why they must."

I couldn't look at him. This creature that had saved my life and had probably helped me in ways that I didn't even know, wanted to take away these people who had done nothing but good things to Narnia. He was just going to leave the role of King to Caspian, who hadn't a clue of what he was to do?

"Think of Caspian's transition to being a king of Narnia, child. Would it not be much harder for him to regain his place as king with four other rulers who also expect their roles to be resumed? He has learned all that there is to learn from the Kings and Queens of Old, as have you," he told me, still just as calm as ever.

I crossed my arms, trying to be more understanding, but still not fully understanding the ways of Aslan," They will be devastated."

He nodded," Yes, but they will soon understand."

There was another pause and my eyes traveled back downstream where I could see the Pevensies, helping to gather everyone into an orderly manner once more. I looked from Susan, whose pain would have been great whether she stayed in Narnia or not. It was because of me that she would never be with the man she dreamed of being with. Yet, I predicted, that she would still be tender hearted enough to forgive and go on. Then I looked to Peter, strong and gallant. He was such a strong shelter and comfort for almost anyone to look up to. He was loyal too, which was what made him such a great leader.

Was this what Aslan wanted me to do? To pick out the traits that made them who they were?

Was this what he had planned all along?

"Is that really why you brought them here?" I asked the lion, trying to sort out all of my feelings," As an example for us to follow?"

"Mostly," the lion replied," Narnia was in need of help and there was no way that Caspian and you could handle that on your own, but mostly because it would allow both you and Caspian to meet the Kings and Queens that kept Narnia peaceful for so many years as well as strengthen the knowledge that you two have of yourselves. Hopefully, by placing yourself in a relationship with the King, you have learned what has made him such a hero and Caspian, by placing himself with the Queen, has learned what makes a successful Queen. You are right in saying that I wanted you to see an example, but do not think that was the only reason."

"You are right in saying that I have placed myself in a relationship with the King, for I have learned much about Peter. He was a stronghold for me and I could never thank him enough for being there for me when I had shut out everyone else," I told the lion, the words seemingly pouring out of my heart," It just will be hard to see him go."

He nodded his head once more, understanding," I understand the feelings you developed for the High King and I understand Caspian's as well. I regret that it has to come down to this, but the truth of the matter is that the Pevensies cannot stay here forever."

This was not a transition that I would be able to accept overnight, in fact, I figured that it would take me quite some time to get used to this. All I could seem to do was shake my head in disbelief as tears flooded from my eyes.

"I know that you have gone through much pain with the loss of your family, but I hope that you realize what you have helped to build now, Rosalie," the lion comforted once more," I hope that you can see the brighter Narnia that is arising from the shadows."

Of course, I could. I would eventually be able to move on, but the hard part was yet to come.

Saying goodbye.

Author's Note: *wipes away sweat* That was the longest chapter I believe I have ever written and I can't believe that there is only one chapter left...AAHHHH, it won't be nearly as long as this one...promise. I am kind of like in awe that this turned out to be so massive...anyways, new poll on my profile. Check it out!

Oh and...a review would make my day :) Thanks guys, you're the best! 


	25. Please Don't Forget

**Author's Note: I own nothing, as you very well know by now :)**

Chapter Twenty-Five: Please Don't Forget

My eyes looked back over to the lion," How much longer do we have with them?"

We stopped walking for a moment and took time to look down the river where they all stood congregated around, what used to be, a river bridge.

"I suspect that we will arrive back at the castle later this afternoon and the Telmarines will throw some sort of celebration," the lion explained as we began walking once more," However, I think that tomorrow will be the day that we assemble the people and offer the opportunity for them to go back to their homeland. This will be when the Pevensies will leave as well."

I mirrored his steps while I swallowed the words he said and asked," There is no way that they could have more time?"

He looked directly at me and the look in his eyes told me that he was genuinely sorry and I did not need a verbal answer to know what he was going to say. Slowly, I turned my head away, knowing that he was right. Knowing that I could not delay the inevitable and that there was no getting around saying good-bye. We walked in silence toward the others and just before we rejoined them, the lion said," Rosalie, use these last hours wisely. I told you first for a reason."

Reluctantly, I met his eyes and nodded somberly, knowing that he wanted me to make the best of what little time I had left with them," Of course."

"Child, please do not be too saddened," he encouraged me," Remember, what I told you about the new horizon. It will be hard now, but you are strong enough to make it through, I know this."

A small smile came to my lips," I hope so."

Then I turned once more to go and join the rest of them, but before I could reach them…I felt as though there was something else that needed to be said," And Aslan," he looked at me," Thank you, for everything."

He replied, in the same tone that a father would a young daughter," My child, you are very welcome."

That time, I really did walk away and saw that my sister was waiting for me at the edge of the tree line where the others were already starting on the path back home. Home. In a matter of hours, we would be _home_ again. As I approached my sister, she raised an eyebrow at me.

"What was that all about?" she asked me as I walked along beside her on the trail home.

Fighting the urge to confide in her, I placed an arm around her and pulled her close to me as we walked.

I told her," You'll soon see."

She looked at me, her eyes narrow," There's something-"

"Let's just not worry about it right now," I whispered to her and as I did so, I noticed Edmund walking up beside us. My sister's eyes flicked away from me and immediately looked over to the youngest king. I smiled to myself at this innocent notion before pushing her toward him slightly," Go for it."

Blush filled her face as she shot a glare back at me," You're awful."

I rolled my eyes," Just go already."

My sister stared at me hard for a couple more moments before finally walking toward the king. Even though I knew she deserved to know what was coming too, for some reason I felt as though Aslan would have preferred that I not spread the news. There was no need for me to ruin her happiness now. I watched as her and the king struck up a new conversation, but was soon interrupted.

"Rosalie," I looked behind me to see my horse being pulled along by Trumpkin, the dwarf. I laughed at the sight because Kingslee was being rather stubborn about the whole affair, whinnying and crying. His voice was rather irritated and it was quite a sight watching a creature of his height pulling a large horse such as Kingslee.

I took a step back to calm Kingslee," Thank you Trumpkin," I told the dwarf, who returned the gratitude with a nod. Suddenly, Reepicheep popped up over Kingslee's head.

Kingslee threw another fit and bucked high into the air," C'mon girl, it's alright. Calm down. Reepicheep, you're giving her quite the scare, why don't you get off?"

With a sigh, the small mouse came scurrying down from atop of the horse and bowed at my feet," My apologies, my lady, but nevertheless-your steed is here."

"Thank you, Reepicheep," I said with a smile as the two of them scurried on off farther up the trail," And Trumpkin."

I patted Kingslee on the nose, still trying to calm her down completely. The thought of never seeing her again had passed into my head and it was wonderful that they were able to return her to me. I was scared to ask how they found her, but it hardly mattered since she was back. After waiting for quite some time for her to settle down, I finally climbed on Kingslee, after she calmed down completely. Walking was getting rather tiring considering that I had so many injuries that my whole body felt as though it was aching.

However, I was able to ignore the pain as best as I could. Up ahead, I noticed my sister and Edmund, still engaged in conversation, as well as Caspian speaking with some of the centaurs, and then I also noted that Aslan was speaking with Peter at the front of the pack. I could only wonder what they were talking about, but I figured that when he was going to break the news to Peter, he would tell Susan at the same time.

It was nice to be able to ride Kingslee in peace and as we trotted along the trail, it almost felt as though I was a little girl riding with my father again. I could clearly picture the river running alongside us, birds chirping overhead, my father's arms around me protectively…it was a nice fantasy to replay, but it was interrupted seemingly too soon when the crowd stopped moving at the top of the ridge.

Over the valley, Telmar could be seen. Standing tall and proud, just as it had whenever we left it. Only this time, a new ruler was upon the city.

Whenever we entered the city, one would have thought that we had brought a never ending supply of cheer with us as well. People gathered in the streets, dancing and cheering, screaming our names. They were in awe of the kings and queens that were joining us on our trip back. The whole ride through Telmar was like a dream. I felt as though I was only in a fantasy land all the way up until we were at the drawbridge to enter the castle.

Slowly, the bridge crept down and as it crept, my heart almost leaped through my chest with excitement. Coming back home was one of the best feelings that I had felt in quite a long time. Seeing all of the familiar faces of the servants and other Telmarines whom I had known since I was a child. It would never be the same without mother, father, or even Jacob, but at least these people could serve as small reminders of the old life we all used to share.

Fireworks were shot off that night in celebration of the new king that had come and all sorts of people crowded into the streets. The Pevensies, Caspian, and even a few of the Narnians gathered in my family's quarters to watch the show from the balcony. The streets appeared to be very crowded, but it was quite a relief to be home again and to watch the celebration. The evening was wonderful, being able to talk about something other than battles with them all, but I was mostly worried that the next day was coming much too soon.

* * *

Sunbeams broke through the curtains on my bedroom window, and I groaned at the sun's touch on my face. I felt as though I was just waking up from a long dream, the ones that felt so real. It was very hard for me to comprehend the fact that I was…home. Just the day before, I was fighting in a battle to save Narnia. And then, only a matter of hours later, I was awakening from my own bed once again.

"Good morning, Lady Rosalie," my servant girl, Emily, greeted me, just as chipper as always.

"Emily," I moaned, stuffing my head back under the covers, I may have been awake, but my body still ached greatly from all the beatings I had taken over the last twenty-four hours," Surely no one expects me to be anywhere quite so early?"

A chuckle came from the servant girl's mouth as she pulled the curtains all the way open, light swallowing the room whole," It's already mid-morning, my lady. Most of the castle has been awake for hours now!"

Slowly, I pulled my head up from my pillow, but a sting ran through my beaten arm and a small cry was elicited from my mouth. Emily, always the observant servant that she was, came running to my side," Let me help you, no doubt you are still horribly sore."

I shook my head with a horrible wince planted on my face as I pushed myself up with my other arm. Jacob may as well of cut off my arm since it was more than useless at the time being. Emily had taken the liberty to cleanse and wrap it just before the fireworks had began the night before. There were also some other minor places of injury all over my body.

We entered into my room of clothing once again, just as we had before and I took up my place in front of the mirror. As Emily went scurrying back through my clothing, I examined my reflection. Scraps graced the sides of my face and I noticed that right along the top of my forehead, I had somehow managed to get a large, gaping scrape with a small bandage over it. Lovely.

I shook my head in disbelief. Just a day ago, I feared that I would never see my home again. I thought that I might have been ending my life in rebellion against this very place. And yet, here I stood with only the slightest of injuries.

In that same day, I had met a creature unlike any creature that I had ever laid eyes on before. A creature that's roar could move mountains and steps could shake the ground. A creature that I had always thought to be make belief. A smile appeared on my face. It was foolish for me to think that Aslan was just a bed-time story for now, I knew him.

The smile soon disappeared as I continued to look into the mirror. Mentioning the lion made me think of what the lion had told me just yesterday.

_I am sending the Pevensies home, Rosalie_.

And then it hit me all over again.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to break down in the middle of the floor and cry. I wanted to scream and do anything I could that would make this stop, but then I remembered what else Aslan had told me.

_I hope that you can see the brighter Narnia that is arising from the shadows._

I inhaled sharply. This is what Aslan said would happen. And the thought of that was what kept me from breaking down right there as Emily assisted me into the deep blue gown. So many things were going through my head, that it was hard to even think straight with everything going on.

While she was tying me up, I remembered the reason why I had never particularly liked getting dressed up for nice events. The bruises all over my body didn't really help the matter either. Finally, after taking seemingly twice as long as I remembered, I was able to walk out of the dressing room.

"You're actually rather lucky this time, you know," Emily chipped to me as we walked through my old family's quarters," I didn't tie it up nearly as tight as I normally do."

A small smirk laid on my lips," You gave me some sympathy?"

"Only because I could never imagine what actually fighting would be like. I've never held a blade in my life!" she exclaimed," And by the looks of the bruises you've got, I doubt that I want to."

I shook my head," Emily, don't be silly. I would rather walk out with a couple of bruises than without my life."

Her eyes widened," And I would rather not mess with the lot of it! I admire you for your bravery, but I am only a servant girl."

I scrutinized her face," You think that being a servant girl prevents you from being brave?"

She looked flabbergasted at my question and could barely speak without stuttering," Wh-well-I-"

I laughed and placed a hand on her shoulder," Perhaps," I started as we entered the room where more women were beginning to flock around me," One day, I shall teach you."

She smiled, a shaky smile, but a smile nonetheless as I was placed into a seat to have my hair done. As usual, I didn't really pay any attention to the ladies playing with my hair or slathering powder on my face. All I knew that it seemed to take longer and suddenly I was missing being in the woods all day and all night, not having to worry about every one of my flaws being covered or having every tendril perfectly curled.

"Lady Rosalie, how dull the castle has been without your mother or Penelope or you to keep us company!" one of the, slightly plump, women exclaimed while running a comb of some sort through my hair.

I hadn't a clue how I was to reply to this, but only smiled and let out a weak," Oh really? Well, it has been rather dull without you all to keep me company as well."

"Thank goodness we are now rid of that awful man!" she exclaimed once more," Darling, I never realized how much you must of have to go through with such a monster such as he."

Word must have gotten around fast amount the Telmarine community. I tried to nod my head and tell this lady how terribly miserable I was with my father, but the truth of the matter was that I was not saddened by my father's presence at home. In fact, I loved my father with all of my heart up until I discovered that the man I loved was merely a façade of the true man in the body. Although, part of me would have liked to believe that there was still some good tucked away.

"Darling? Darling?" the lady questioned, breaking my thought.

"Oh, right," I said, slightly in shock," Yes, it was…I'm sorry can we not discuss that topic?"

She gasped in sharply," Oh, I'm sorry is that a sensitive-"

Feeling the need to excuse myself, I shot up quickly," I'm sorry, you've all done a fantastic job, really it's just that-"

Then the lady exploded and starting wailing and balling and all sorts of obnoxious noises came from her mouth," Oh, I have offended Lady Rosalie! Ohh, what a horrid creature I am!"

"No, no, really it's-"

The wailing was so loud that it was basically useless anyways. I sighed before silently exiting the room without another word to any of the women in there. With a sigh, I reminisced once more on the days of not worrying about what anyone thought of the way I dressed.

While walking down the corridor of my family's quarters, Emily informed me that I needed to report to the stables within an hour. Then, for the first time since I had been home, I was alone. It felt odd for a moment, but I then noticed that I most definitely was not alone for a certain High King of Narnia was standing just outside, on the balcony that extended from my family's quarters.

This was it.

I gulped hard, heart beating out of my chest as I proceeded forward. His back was turned to me, but still I felt as though I was making more noise than any creature could possibly make. Slowly, I placed myself beside him and together we looked out over the landscape that was dear to the both of us.

"So this is how it ends," he said tenderly after a few moments of silence.

"Peter-" I tried, but he would not allow me any room for words.

"I will never be able to fully understand his reasoning, Rosalie," his voice shaky, even though he was trying to appear strong," I will _never_ understand why he is doing this to us once again."

Anger filled his voice. Hesitantly, I placed my hand atop of his to provide some sort of comfort. This was not exactly how I had envisioned our last conversation going, but I could at least try and provide him with what little comfort I could before he was gone. However, he was not in the mood to accept my sympathy. Quickly, he jerked his hand away and I looked at him, confused and slightly hurt as he spat," Both you and I know that this is useless. It would be easier if we just went ahead and didn't speak to each other again."

Slowly, I crossed my arms and studied him hard. I knew that he was angry, but I could tell that he was covering up how he really felt," Peter, I know you don't mean that. If I were to let you leave here now without saying another word to me, then both you and I would regret it later."

"Maybe, but maybe not," he spat back, his words still latten with hate and feeling of betrayal from the lion that he had trusted for so long," We will both move on. It won't take you long to forget about me and live happily with Caspian."

These words were what hit me hard. I knew Peter well enough to know that when his emotions were strong, his words were strong as well, but now he was saying things that I knew he didn't believe with all of his heart. I knew him well enough to know that he was only venting.

After several moments, I tried once more to get him to come to his senses. Tenderly, I placed a hand on his shoulder," Look at me, Peter."

Biting back more hesitation, he looked directly at me. His usually demeanor that was filled with pride and cheer was now replaced with a sullen, confused one," Please, don't make this hard, Rosalie," he practically begged.

"You're making this hard for me," I whispered hoarsely, fighting tears," We both know that this is not possible, but please don't try and tell me that you will just forget it like every other minor detail of life."

I could tell by the way he was biting on his lip that he was trying with all of his might to keep his emotions tucked inside. He broke my eye contact briefly before looking back at me," I didn't mean that."

I nodded, understanding," I know you didn't."

"It's not fair," he whispered hoarsely, I could sense him slowly breaking down.

Looking right into his blue eyes, I nodded once more," I know that it's not, but this is what has to happen. It has already been chosen for us. We must go our separate ways."

I felt his hand travel up to my cheek, just as it had the night in the woods," You are going to be just fine here without me. I know it."

"Don't say it like that," I pleaded," Don't make it sound like this is going to be easy for me."

He chuckled slightly," But it will be-"

"Just as hard for me as it will be for you," I finished his phrase," Don't you think that a day will go by that you will not pass my mind, do you understand?" I asked him, making sure that I made myself clear.

There was no way that I would be able to forget him. I owed him for risking his life to save mine.

He released a sigh, almost as if he was sighing in defeat," You've made your point."

"Please tell me you won't forget," I whispered, pleading him once more," Realize that you must move on, but never forget."

There was another pause as he stared directly at me, as if searching my eyes for an answer. My tear-brimmed eyes could hardly stand it much longer for tears were about to explode out of them. Once more, I collapsed into the High King's chest and cried hard. I felt his arms wrap around me tight and softly he whispered into my ear," You know that I never will."

The words sent chills up and down my spine.

We stood there embraced for seemingly forever, not wanting to face our fate, but it was not long for fate to draw us apart. I was not able to fully predict what would have happened had Peter stayed in Narnia for I know that it probably would not have been easy even had he stayed. Those thoughts were not in my head.

"You're going to be just fine back at your real home," I muttered to him, through my tears.

He kept me held tight before replying," It's going to be hard."

I looked up at him," But you are strong."

He wiped away a stray tear that ran down my face with his thumb before saying," I sure hope so. Thank you for everything, Rosalie. You have helped me look deeper within myself."

I shook my head," If anyone should be thanking the other, it should be me thanking you. You helped me get through some of the hardest times I have ever faced."

We stood there for several more moments, embraced, but in just a matter of moments. I heard Emily's voice interrupting.

"M-m-my lady?" she stuttered softly, probably feeling embarrassed for cutting in.

I sniffled and slowly backed away from Peter, wiping a tear from my eye I looked at Emily," Y-yes, Emily?"

"Sorry to interrupt," she said so quietly that I hardly heard her," It's time to go now. They have the town gathered.

I nodded my head and looked back into the King's blue eyes. We both knew what this meant. This was the end and even though it was painful, I remembered the words of Aslan once more. They weren't much of a comfort at the time, but they were the only thing that gave me enough will-power to disentangle myself from Peter's grasp. As I stepped away, he kept my hand held in his and looked deep into my eyes," Goodbye, Rosalie," he said softer than ever.

_It is suppose to hurt now…_

The lion's words echoed in my head as I stared at Peter, knowing that I had probably ruined the image that the women had worked so hard to build on my face. Painfully, I squeezed his hand tight and choked," Goodbye, Peter."

_But, things will get better for you are building a new, brighter Narnia._

**Author's Note: Go, go, go there's still one more chapter to read! Surprise!  
**


	26. Saying Goodbye

**Author's Note: You know the drill. I own nothing. :)**

Chapter Twenty-Six: Saying Goodbye

Emily led me out to the stables where my younger sister awaited me in a stall next to where Kingslee was kept. Quickly, Kingslee was brought out of the stable and I mounted her as fast as I could. Penelope rode up next to me, on a black horse that I had not seen before," What took you so long? We were getting worried. Why do you look like you've been crying?"

I tried to wipe away the tears, but I still found myself a sniffling mess even as started to ride away.

I inhaled deeply while tapping Kingslee ever so slightly to begin trotting," You'll find out eventually."

It was much too soon for me to regurgitate all of that to her.

"Rosalie, you haven't told me anything lately!" she argued as I kicked Kingslee harder, we were already running late.

"Penelope," I finally stopped her," In a matter of minutes, you will see everything happen right in front of your eyes."

She reluctantly nodded her head and before long both of us were kicking our steeds as hard as we could and running through the streets of Telmar. Thankfully, most of the people were already at the gathering, but the stray ones, who had decided to stay home, were scattered all throughout the street providing us with somewhat difficult obstacles along the way. We nearly made the baker drop his fresh batch and the basket weaver drop her new piece of work, but we made it to the gathering place just in time.

This place overlooked one of the valleys of Narnia and at the front of the crowd stood a twisted tree. Aslan, as well as the Pevensies and Caspian were already standing up ahead and a small buzz was running through the crowd as Penelope and I tried to break through the thick crowd. After several, "Pardon me" 's and "Excuse me" 's, we were standing alongside our companions. Peter arrived just moments after we had.

I still tried to save what was left of the look the women had created, but I imagined that it was passed the point of no return by this point in time.

"We were about to start without you," Caspian whispered to me as I tried to catch my breath from the trek," Are you alright? You look a little…upset."

I nodded, but tried not to say much more because I feared that if I said anything I would lose it all over again.

Feeling as though we stood out, Penelope and I slowly migrated off to the side of the show where the Pevensies stood. Then, Caspian, glancing once at Aslan, turned to speak to his people.

"Narnia belongs to the Narnians just as it does any man. Any Telmarine who is willing to stay and live in peace with the Narnians is welcome to do so. And for any of you who wish otherwise, Aslan will return you to the land of our forefathers," the crowd listened intently to him as he spoke; I noticed Glozelle and the former Queen of Narnia (Miraz's wife, Prunaprismia.), standing in the front, in her arms the baby that almost cost Caspian his life.

"We have not ever left Telmar!" one Telmarine royal cried out," It has been generations!"

Aslan then spoke," We are not referring to Telmar. Your ancestors were sea-faring brigades, pirates run aground on an island. There, they found a cave, a rare chasm that led them here from their world, the same world as our kings and queens."

A small chatter went through the crowd as Aslan glanced over at the Pevensies before saying finally," It is to that island where I can return you. It is a good place to make a new start."

Then there was silence as the crowd seemed to be contemplating. I glanced quickly over to the Pevensies, this must have been alluding to what was to come with their leaving. I wondered if the younger two had known as well.

"I'll go," Glozelle spoke from the front," I will accept this offer."

Prunaprismia spoke right after him," So will we."

They climbed the stairs and came walking toward us, Prunaprismia and Glozelle looked at me briefly, but soon turned their attention to Aslan, who said," Since you have spoken first, your future in that world will be great."

Aslan sent his breath upon them and as the tree standing beside us twisted into a door, I had to ask one last thing of Glozelle.

"Glozelle," I stepped toward him before he could leave our world forever, I felt as though the eyes of every Telmarine were on me," Can you please tell me the whereabouts of Jacob?"

He might have been one of the last people to see my brother, and I had to take that risk.

His glare was cold on me as he looked me up and down before saying," He is still living, but I do not know where he is."

Without another word, Glozelle, Prunaprismia, and the other Telmarine lord that I recognized vaguely, stepped through the door in the air as the crowd gasped.

So Jacob was still alive. He was still somewhere out there in Narnia, roaming around. I did not figure that he would be much of a threat, but I did rather hope that he might have been able to find some shelter or safety. However, I guess I would never fully know for sure.

"How do we know you are not sending us off to our deaths?" another man called out from the crowd, interrupting my thoughts.

Quickly, Reepicheep stepped in to offer himself to go as an example, but Aslan merely shook his head and looked over in the direction of the Pevensies. So, this was the final good-bye. Peter looked at Susan and slowly, he stepped forward.

"We will go," Peter said, sounding much more put together than when I had just spoken to him. He had to set an example and that was a quality that made him the leader that he was. Having the ability to mask emotions so well in order to lead others, was a rare one indeed.

"We will?" Edmund asked, obviously confused by this. So, Aslan had chose not to tell them.

"Come on," Peter told his siblings as started walking toward Caspian," Our time is up."

Peter looked directly at Caspian and drew his sword, handing it over to the new King," We aren't really needed here anymore."

Caspian, looking just as confused as the younger Pevensies, replied, after taking the sword," I will look after it until you return."

The former High King took a step back and Susan took a step forward," That's just it…We're not coming back."

Penelope grabbed the sleeve of my dress and whispered to me," What is she talking about?"

I bit my lip once more and looked down on my sister," Just watch."

Lucy, sweet, innocent, confused Lucy looked up at her sister," We're not?"

Peter then shook his head," You two are… I think that's what he means."

Still confused and wanting answer, Lucy asked Aslan," But, what have they done wrong?"

Aslan shook his head and looked at Lucy with sympathy," Quite the opposite, dear. All things have their time, and your brother and sister have learned all they can from this world. It is now time for them to live in their own."

Peter looked down to his sister, caring for her just as deeply as I cared for my sibling," It's alright, Lu. It's not how I thought it would be, but it's alright. One day, you'll see too, but for now come on."

All of the Pevensies turned to say good-bye first to the Narnians who were standing around, such as Trumpkin and Reepicheep. It was sweet to see them say their final goodbyes to the creatures who they had grown so close to. I found Penelope with tears in her eyes as we moved closer toward Caspian, who looked at us somberly.

"I would have never guessed-" he started at me, but not able to find the right words to fit the situation.

"I can't believe this," Penelope mumbled, a tear falling from her eyes.

This was just as hard on her as it was for Caspian and I.

Aslan stepped in to the conversation," Don't worry, young one. This will not be the last you see of the younger Pevensie children. They will be back when Narnia is need of them once more."

"I hardly doubt you'll miss us _that_ much," Edmund said from behind her, startling her greatly. A smile on his face.

I saw the blush come to my sister's cheeks as she turned on her heel and crossed her arms," I-I," she stuttered, not knowing what to say.

Caspian looked at me and the both of us couldn't help but laugh.

"Of-of course I will," she said, still shaky," Of course."

She shot both of us a glare and we turned our head away, trying to pretend as though nothing had happened while she bid the king farewell. As we turned away, still stifling laughter, we quickly were able to calm ourselves for Susan approached us. The air felt awkward as she stood in front of us, a solemn look on her face. Her eyes shifted nervously back and forth as Caspian and I fully regained composure.

"Susan, I'm-" Caspian started after clearing his throat, but she only looked at him and shook her head.

"You don't have to say anything," she said, not particularly in a harsh tone, but there was still an undertone of hurt.

She looked directly at me," Keep a close eye on him," she told me with a smile on her face, referring to Caspian.

I smiled and nodded my head, looking from Caspian to her," You don't have to worry about that."

She nodded her head in gratitude before starting to turn away from us once more," I wish you the best."

And with that she had started walking away from us, toward the door that would take her to her home.

Lucy and Edmund soon approached us and bid the both of us best. Lucy practically tackled the both of us with her embrace, while Edmund was a little more subtle. Before they could walk away, I did have something to say to them.

"I can't thank the both of you enough," I said just before they turned to leave, they had played a large part in my rescue as well," And I look forward to the day we meet again."

The two smiled big and Lucy said," It was nothing really."

"Yeah, I mean we hardly-" Edmund started, but I interrupted.

I shook my head," Just-thank you."

They both nodded their heads with one last smile and looked over their shoulder, knowing that fate was calling them away for now. Reluctantly, with a last nod to us, they turned away and stood next to their sister as they waited for their last family member to join them.

Peter approached. I gulped hard, trying to keep my emotions from spilling over again. He looked at Caspian first," Take care of Narnia."

I knew that there would be little more to be said between Peter and I. I don't think that we could bear to say much more to each other than what had already been said. We both knew that this was what fate had in store for us and that there was nothing more we could do. Susan had already accepted this long ago, but I think that it would have taken Peter longer to accept the fact that he would never be back again. My eyes were still tear-stained from earlier and I could hardly bear to look at them any longer.

Caspian nodded, but was unable to say anything. Peter then shifted his gaze to me and I said," I think you're leaving it in good hands."

A small smile came to his lips before he bowed slightly to the both of us," I think you're right."

Silence stood in the air for a moment longer before he took a step toward fate," I guess this is good-bye."

Then, before another word could be said, he had turned his back on us completely and led his siblings back to their home without another backward glance.

A single tear slid down my face.

On our way back to the castle, after the crowd had dispersed and tried to go back to their normal lives, Caspian and I found ourselves walking through the streets that we had as children, once more. Aslan had offered to walk Penelope back up to the castle while we were able to speak with each other.

"I can't believe they're gone, Caspian," I whispered to him as we walked up the cobblestone streets.

"Nor can I," he replied, briefly smiling at a woman who had stepped out of her house just to welcome us back," This just came upon us so suddenly."

I nodded my head as we continued walking, finding it be better that I not tell him that Aslan had told me all along what was happening," I almost think it might have been harder had they stayed longer though."

"True," he agreed," It would be easier for them to be gone quickly rather than later when we would be even more attached to them."

He nodded as we continued walk, still in shock of what had just happened.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked me, looking at me with concern-filled eyes," I know that recovery from this is going to be hard for you."

I sighed, thinking back on everything that had happened. A flood of overwhelming memories came back to me, but the only thing that really mattered was that it was all over now and that we had to move on with our lives. I would keep my promise to Peter that I wouldn't ever forget about him, but I couldn't hold on to the past forever.

My mother's face also came to my head, but I did not allow myself to shed another tear over her. I would force myself to be strong for her. I would live my life in a manner that I know she would approve of and that would mean, not having any regrets or living in the past. It was truly a battle for me not to cry over her day in and day out, but I think that I could be strong for her.

Even though Jacob had turned out to be bad, I still missed the brother that I used to have. It would have been hard for me to accept him, if he ever did wish to come back, but I would have to learn the path of forgiveness. Thinking of Jacob made me think of my father, who I could not even describe. The scene of watching him fall into the river replayed in my head and I tried to push that out my head quickly. All I could do about my father was remember the good times and not the bad.

I met his glance after leaving a heavy silence," I think so. Just give me some time," I said with a smile.

He returned the smile and then finally said," I can't tell you how sorry I am for everything that has happened."

I shook my head and looked at him incredulously," You've already apologized once. You don't have to do it again."

"But I was so-" he started again as we came closer to the drawbridge.

"Caspian!" I stopped him," All of that doesn't matter now. All that matters is that we are both still alive and fairly unharmed," I said, referencing my bad arm with a smile.

"But-" he tried once more.

"No," I said just as adamantly as before," Is there any way that you will ever be able to forgive yourself?"

He looked at me as we crossed over the drawbridge into the castle," Not anytime soon."

"I was just as wrong as you were; I already told you this," I said to him, trying to plead with him," Do not blame this entirely on yourself."

He sighed this time as we walked passed many of the servants and slowed while we passed through the courtyard," I want to so badly, but you just won't let me, will you?"

"No," I shook my head as we slowed down in the courtyard, this was where it all had happened," Not when I am equally at fault."

There was a silence as we stood side by side in the courtyard. I looked around and examined the details and how the flowers that used to grow appeared to be dead from lack of water or care. The grass on the inside, dry and lifeless. Although the streets had been decorated beautifully, there was still plenty of landscaping that needed to be done in Telmar in order to restore it to its original beauty. It had been starved of the tenderness and compassion that once filled its streets.

"I wish it would have never happened," he whispered to me while I bent over one of the dead floral arrangements," I wish that it would have been the way it was when we were children. I wish that these people that we had known for all of our lives, were not so evil."

I thought on the matter. Would I have really wanted that?

Before all of this had happened, nothing had really tested our friendship. Nothing had ever challenged how much we cared about the other, but now that this had happened…how would it affect us?

"Really?" I asked him, grabbing one of the dead petals from the flower," I think I disagree."

He chuckled and folded his arms over his chest," Oh really? Why don't you share your reasoning?"

"Yes," I said, fingering the dead petal in my hand," Think abstractly, perhaps it has been a good thing for us to be pushed to the limit. Perhaps, it has been a wakeup call for us to see that everything, our lives included, was almost taken away from us. Perhaps, it has given us even more of a reason to fight for what we love when danger comes again."

He looked away in contemplation and placed a hand under his chin," I believe you have just proven me wrong."

A shrugged and dropped the dead petal as I made my way back toward him before teasingly saying," Don't sound so surprised."

"So you're saying that you don't want to forget that all of this happened and start fresh?" he asked me, trying to pinpoint exactly what I was saying.

I nodded my head," Don't get me wrong, I don't wish to dwell on these memories, for they aren't the most pleasant, but wouldn't it be best that we recognize that they happened and start fresh from there?"

He looked at me with that boyish smirk that always made my stomach turn," That sounds wonderful."

A smile came to my lips," I'm glad that it meets your _majesty's_ approval."

Remembering the times when I called him that earlier, he cringed in pain once more. I remembered how he strongly he detested being called that and I even got myself dumped in the river once for calling him it.

"What did I tell you about calling me that?" he asked, taking a step closer to me, an evil smirk on his face.

I took a step backward and tried to play as innocent as I could," I haven't a clue what you're talking about. I'm only calling you what is _respectful_."

He rolled his eyes as he came even closer," Just because I'm king now doesn't mean that you treat me any different."

Another laugh escaped my mouth as I tried to escape him by running, but was too slow for Caspian had swiftly grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him. Still laughing, I looked right at him as he held me closer than he had ever done so before. Looking into his brown eyes, I couldn't help but feel…happy. Even though I had claimed feelings for Peter for all of this time( and I really had), I could honestly say that the joy I saw when I looked into the eyes of the new king was a type of ecstasy that I hadn't felt in a long time.

And I was foolish for _ever_ doubting it.

His laughter and my own filled the courtyard as we stood face to face with one another. I felt my heart beating out of control, but this was not the nervous or hurt or anxious type of beating. It was so wonderful to be home.

"You're going to be a great king," I whispered to him, still wearing a small smirk on my face.

"That doesn't change anything," he whispered back.

"Of course not," I murmured to him," Because I will be here to seize the day with you. Every day will be just like the adventures we talked about as children."

He smiled as the space between us grew even smaller," I've been waiting to hear you say that for a long time now."

Like a whirlwind, everything hit at once. Our lips met for the first time and I felt his hands rush to either side of my face, deepening the kiss. I placed my hands on both sides of him, mostly keeping my balance from the passion inside the kiss. Warmth spread through my whole body as we kissed and not a thing in the world compared to being with him.

_My memories are something I hold very close to me. Had it not been for my memories, I would not be the person that I am to this day._

_As I sit here recalling these events, I cannot help but smile at the happiness and feel bitterness for the sad times that I endured. I still stand by my words that I said as I began retelling my tale and now I realize how true they are. My life now is no where near as exciting as it was then, but everything has its time. Mine has ended and now the time of others has come._

_However, do not let me fool you into thinking that this is the only series of trials that I faced. Oh no, little did I know that after the war had concluded…the trials had only just begun._

**Author's Note: So, there you have it! The end of Rosalie Sopespian. I had so much fun writing this and thanks to everyone who favored/alerted/reviewed this story! I loved reading your feedback after every chapter.**

***Drum Roll*…..I am writing a sequel titled **_**The New Horizon**_**! The title is actually a reference to what Aslan said about rebuilding Narnia, so I thought that it would be appropriate since the next story will be focused on restoring Narnia after Miraz and Caspian's adjusting to being King. I had better stop talking before I say too much, anyways thanks all! Be on the lookout for the new story that should be posted anytime this week.**


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